The Cat's Cradle
by ShadowedPuppeteer
Summary: When Quinn can't get the mysterious Artemis Fowl out of her head, she tracks him down in hopes of finding out more about him. But never in her strangest, scariest nightmares could she have imagined what was to come...
1. Chapter 1, Blue Eyes

**Disclaimer:** Alas, in this lengthy pause, I have not gained the rights to Artemis Fowl. Or managed to hunt down Her Royal Annoyance, Opal Koboi. **Claimer:** Quinn, Noami and Randolph still belong to me, though, so keep your dirty paws away from them!

**Thank you CieloCrimisi and LiteralDay for reviewing that awful 'prologue'! I plan to sort it out once school has settled down, not to mention write more. You're both fantastic! (You're doughnuts are on their way now. :) )**

Quinn Murphy owned neither spectacular wealth nor beauty, and when people discovered that her best friend was the spectacularly wealthy and beautiful Naomi Jessica Cuddihy they had a hard time believing it. They seemed opposite in almost every way, had different opinions on almost everything. The two girls were often likened to the polar sides of a magnet, which was perhaps why they were so close. After all, a magnet could not be a magnet without both a north and a south.

They, at first, did not get along at all. The teenagers, then seven, were in completely different situations: Quinn lived in an orphanage and went to the closest school, where most of the students had futures behind bars; and Naomi lived as the elite class, in one of the largest townhouses in the most expensive area and went to a girls' boarding school in preparation for being a rich man's wife.

The first meeting was quite by accident. Naomi was home for the holidays and, fed up of her nanny bossing her around, had gone for a walk around the local park. Quinn was shirking her chores (again) and was hiding in her favourite tree. And then somehow (neither girl to this day can agree upon how it happened) they both ended up at the bottom of the well. There was water up to their ankles and mud everywhere. So, seven-year-old Naomi was livid and blamed it all on Quinn, who claimed that Naomi had tripped and taken them both down.

It took about twenty minutes for the nanny to realise that Naomi wasn't in her room and for the staff to realise that Quinn wasn't washing the dishes, and another ten minutes to find them. In the half hour it took, the girls had got bored of arguing and so were found sitting in the mud and water, playing a game with a piece of string Quinn had in her pocket.

Everyone expected them to forget about each other, but against all odds, the girls had embraced their differences with open arms. Eight years later, Quinn still went to Naomi's as often as was possible.

And thus, our story begins.

Shuffling her deck of cards for the hundredth time, Quinn tried to ignore the infernal racket that was going on behind her. According to Naomi, _X-Factor_ was one of the best shows ever created. Quinn wondered what the appeal of watching people who couldn't sing and judges making their dreams come crashing down around their ears was, but no matter how many times Naomi explained it to her, she just didn't get it.

"Can you at least turn it down?" she asked irritably. "I can't concentrate over here."

"Oh please." Naomi rolled her eyes. "Solitaire is all about the luck of the cards; it's got nothing to do with skill."

"Shows how much you know," Quinn scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Solitaire isn't just about which cards turn up - it's all about strategy. You have to look for all the possibilities and be able to predict what's coming next. You need to be able to remember the order of the cards in the pile. (In Vegas, it's called card counting and illegal.) So if you distract me, you could potentially ruin the game for me because I'll have missed a vital move." Quinn waited for a response, and when she got none looked over her shoulder. Naomi was watching TV again. "You're impossible!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. Naomi glanced over and giggled.

"I know." The not-so-witty rejoinder was followed by a pillow that hit Quinn smack on the face.

"Challenge accepted!" Grabbing the pillow, Quinn jumped to her feet and rushed her friend. Shrieking with laughter, the girls battled it out. It was never clear who had the upper hand, and it wasn't now.

Suddenly, Naomi slipped off the bed and landed with a loud thump. Quinn continued to laugh, expecting the other girl to just jump right back up and whack her extra hard. But no joyful sound or feather pillow came. Her laughter petered out as she looked over the side of the bed.

She saw Naomi curled up on the carpeted floor, her face taut in pain.

"Oh god, are you okay?" Quinn dropped her pillow and jumped down to aid her friend. Who promptly flung herself into Quinn's stomach, successfully pinned her to the bed, and crushed her pillow into her face for three seconds.

"I win," the older girl smirked as she chucked the pillow back with the rest of them and helped her friend into a seated position.

"That was cheating," Quinn accused. Naomi shrugged.

"Well, technically, we never established any rules, so technically, I didn't cheat."

Quinn stared at her incredulously, and then suddenly let out a bark of laughter. Another short laugh followed, and soon she was doubled over, clutching her sides.

"Stop laughing!" Naomi pouted, pushing out her glossy lips and tears pricking at her eyes. This is more like it, Quinn thought.

"Sorry," she said aloud. "I just thought: You've been hanging out with me too much."

Naomi grinned, though it quickly faded. "Well you _are_ my only friend."

"Same to you."

She laughed. "No, I'm serious."

"For once," Quinn muttered, teasing. Her friend continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"I mean, I've got tons of friends at boarding school but the closest lives in Cavan. The only reason I come back every holiday and other-weekend is 'cause of you." She nudged Quinn with a smile on her face. "Besides, don't you go saying I'm your only friend - I know for a _fact_ that you've got some in that school of yours."

"Yeah, but they're all idiots. You're the smartest of all my friends."

Naomi winced melodramatically. "I feel so sorry for you..."

The girls talked for a while longer, while _X-Factor_ changed to another mind-numbing programme, which changed to another. Before too long, a servant came up to tell the Misses Cuddihy and Murphy that supper was ready.

"Ya know," Quinn suggested on the way to the sizable dining hall, "you should really invest in a gong. That would be _wicked_!"

Naomi just rolled her eyes, and Quinn knew it was because of the _gong_ comment. It hadn't been the first time and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.

Once seated, Quinn looked about the room. The table, in the very centre of the room, could fit fourteen people on plush, ornately carved chairs. The walls were adorned with paintings, and Quinn was sure even one of them could get her through a good university. She couldn't help but be intimidated and awe-inspired whenever she entered this room - or any room, for that matter. She would never be used to these surroundings, she realised, again not for the first time.

Another thing she wasn't used to was the amount of food and number of courses, not to mention the quality. The first time she'd eaten here, she'd gone back to the orphanage and thrown up. Even now, she sometimes felt a bit queasy.

Light chatter bounced across the table between Naomi and her parents while Quinn entertained the youngest Cuddihy. Devin was only three years old and quite the mischief-maker. He loved Quinn purely because she often joined in with his ventures, and even quietly encouraged them.

"Oh, and don't forget: it's your brother's parents' day tomorrow," Mrs Cuddihy said.

"So why do _I_ have to go?" Naomi whined. Parents' day? wondered Quinn, and then remembered. It was a day of the year, near the end of the final term, when parents went to visit their sons at Saint Bartleby's School for Young Gentlemen. Any family members could go, of course, but presumably, the school board had thought _parents' day_ sounded better than _family's day_. The place was one of the most elite all-boy boarding schools in Ireland, after all.

"To show your brother your support."

"Not to mention to meet potentially cute boys," Quinn added under her breath. Naomi's mouth twitched as she tried not to smile. Cute boys were Naomi's weakness, and Quinn knew it well.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"No, you do not."

Naomi and Quinn caught each other's eyes. Quinn's widened when she realised what Naomi planned to do, and the older girl beat her to it.

"Can Quinn come?"

Mrs Cuddihy looked at her husband, who didn't even have to think about it. He smiled warmly at Quinn. "Of course she can," he said. "You are practically part of the family."

Quinn smiled back, but it was forced. Naomi's twin brother, Randolph, was stuffy enough as it was; being surrounded by a hundred boys just like him would be insufferable. Naomi was used to it. She'd grown up in a similar environment and was one of the rich. Quinn was just a dirt-poor girl whose parents had died before she could walk. She suspected it was this which made Randolph dislike her as much as he did, and so why adoption had never come up.

"I can't wait." She fought to keep the sarcasm from her voice. Naomi smirked triumphantly to herself before taking another bite of veal.

Quinn was walking through some grass. It didn't sound like much, nor did it look like much, but Quinn felt attached to this grass. As if it were important to her somehow. It stretched to above her waist and tickled her legs. Looking down, she saw she was wearing a shimmering knee-length dress. After another moment, she realised the dress was also gold.

She looked up again, taking in her surroundings. To her right was a wall that looked centuries old and seemed to stretch on forever. In front and behind her was more grass, dotted with the occasional flash of colour. The red brick wall, the lush green of the grass, and the vibrant flowers started to fade, however, when she looked to the left. There was a wide expanse of field, but in the distance, there was a slight figure. A boy.

_Quinn..._

A voice called to her urgently. It was a boy's voice. Maybe it was his. Quinn started to move towards him, compelled by the boy's urgency and her own curiosity.

_Quinn...!_

The voice was more pressing now, louder. The girl pushed herself to run, though it felt like she was running through treacle. It seemed the closer she got to the figure, the darker the world got. A wind picked up, getting rougher and rougher. It whipped Quinn's hair across her face until the only colour she could see above the grayscale was her own copper-red hair. The voice was shouting now, panicking.

And then the world disappeared, and Quinn was falling...

... Suddenly to wake up in her bed. Or rather, a bed in the guest bedroom.

"QUINN!" The boy's voice turned into Naomi's, and Quinn's eyes snapped open. Her chest hurt and her legs burned as if she really had just been running and fallen back into her body.

"Oh good, you're awake." Naomi's tone turned cheerful. Quinn turned her eyes on her best friend and glared at her.

"You are evil," she intoned tiredly, her dream and bodily aches quickly fading from her thoughts and memory.

"I know. Now get up! We've got boys to evaluate today..."

With a sigh, Quinn pushed herself up out from beneath the thick blanket. She wasn't looking forward to this visit: she would be stuck following Naomi's brother around all day and any boys she did meet would take on the _holier than thou_ attitude.

As the car pulled up to the school, Quinn could barely stifle a gasp. She'd never seen a building so grand! The school itself was three separate buildings, the largest being also the oldest. It had three floors, with vines climbing up the crumbling brick, impressive windows and an even more impressive set of front doors. Quinn guessed they were made of oak. The other two buildings looked more recent, though they were a decade old at least. They were decorated with terracotta tile and vines had yet to make it past the ground floor windows. Clean paths joined all the buildings together and shrubbery bordered the buildings and the walls. The garden was even so big that Quinn couldn't see all of it. She'd heard the gardens were beautifully cared for, and of what she could see it was true. She eagerly hoped it was also true that there was an even more beautiful flower garden somewhere near the back of the grounds.

"I can't believe I didn't wanna come," she breathed. Naomi looked at her friend, at the school, and then back to her friend.

"Yeah, I guess it's pretty extraordinary." She shrugged.

Quinn, too astounded to argue, continued to gape. The chauffeur dropped them off outside the front of the school and then immediately carried on to keep the line moving. They made their way up the steps with Quinn trailing behind, absorbing as much as she could from her rapidly elevating height.

The entrance hall was even grander than the outside: the entire thing looked like it ought to be in an antique shop. Or a national park. Quinn wondered whether they were preserving how the original building had looked. She hoped so; the girl had always loved old buildings. She only wished she got to see them more in real life.

"What is _she_ doing here?" a snobby complaint came. Quinn followed the noise and saw, of course, the brown-haired, brown-eyed twin of her best friend.

"I came to see your lovely school, Randy," she said brightly, revelling in his wince. "Ya know, I think I should have come long ago - it's beautiful."

"Randolph, my boy, there you are!" Mr Cuddihy slapped a hand on his son's back. "Good to see you."

"And you, Father, Mother." He gave her a reluctant hug, the one sons give their mothers in front of their friends. "Naomi." The twins smiled genuinely at each other. Watching them, Quinn realised that Randolph might be _jealous_ of her. Before she had come along, Randolph had been Naomi's best friend and, more importantly, her confidant.

Though it didn't escape her notice that he hadn't actually greeted her.

Mr and Mrs Cuddihy, the latter especially, squeezed as many details as they could out of Randolph, while Naomi evaluated every boy she saw and Quinn trailed behind and looked at her surroundings. For a while now, she'd been toying with the idea of becoming an architect.

And it was while she was studying the stair banisters that she saw him. His paler-than-pale skin resembled a vampire's, and it contrasted greatly with his neat, raven black hair. His limbs were thin and lean, his jaw strong, and his profile handsome. When he turned, the breath caught in Quinn's throat. His eyes were unlike anything she'd ever seen: a hard deep blue, the colour of the sky just before the last light of the day fell beyond the horizon.

"Who is _he_?" she asked no one in particular, with bated breath.

"Who is who?" Naomi countered. She looked around excitedly for this boy. Quinn was very picky about the male appearance so anyone to capture her breath so must be very handsome indeed. But then she remembered the kind of guys that Quinn usually dated, and frowned. "Quinn," she said warningly.

"Yeah?" She looked at her friend, disappointed that the mysterious boy had gone when she had barely had a glance.

"No."

Quinn pouted.

"I'm not _that_ bad at picking guys," she protested.

"Oh please." Naomi waved a hand in the air. "I'll give it to you that every guy you've liked since puberty kicked in has been hotter than the sun, but their personalities have left little to be desired. In fact, I've noticed the more infatuated _you_ are, the more dangerous _they_ are."

Quinn's pout deepened.

"Trevor was a sweetie," she pointed out, referring to her last boyfriend.

"Once you got past the honeymoon phase you were constantly complaining about how boring he was. 'I need someone who knows how to have fun,' you said."

"Fine, whatever, I'll forget him," Quinn relented grumpily.

The girls walked after Naomi's family for a few moments before Naomi asked: "You will draw him for me later, won't you?"

Quinn laughed loudly. Of course, her friend would still want a visual.

"Sure," she agreed, and then clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laugh. The richies were staring.

At two o' clock, there was an hour left of Parents' Day. Plus a three-hour journey back to Kilkenny. And Quinn _really_ needed the bathroom.

"Is there a single girl's bathroom anywhere in this school?" she muttered to Naomi.

Unfortunately, Randolph overheard. "There are plenty of bushes on the grounds," he sneered.

"Quiet, Randy," Quinn snapped.

"Try asking one of the teachers," Naomi inserted before an argument could break out in one of the most prestigious schools in the country.

"Which ones are they?"

"The ones in cheap knock-offs." Randolph rolled his eyes. Quinn looked at him angrily.

"Don't you have a teach to kiss up to or something?"

Randolph glared at her for a moment, and then stalked off to catch up with his parents.

"He's gonna kill you one day, if you don't watch yourself," Naomi commented very un-sarcastically. Quinn glanced at her, and then remembered her predicament.

"Whatever. Let him try. But need pee. Now. Or sooner."

Naomi laughed her tinkling laugh, causing many of the nearby boys to look at her. And then to keep on looking as they saw how beautiful she was. However, she had already evaluated all males in the vicinity and deemed them _not worthy_.

She looked around the room. "There," she said to Quinn, pointing to a man in a suit that looked as though it had spent a week floating in starch. "I think he's one of the Science teachers."

Quinn nodded before weaving her way through the families. "Excuse me."

The man looked at her. Now that she was closer, she could also see that his hair was thinning around his temples.

"Is there a bathroom I could use? I'm sorry, but there's such a long journey home I doubt I'll make it."

"You'll have to use one in a teacher's lounge," he said, trying to act bored but obviously reluctant to part with the information. He quickly reeled off the directions and, because she didn't want to seem like a moron, Quinn nodded and set off down the corridor.

Somehow, as she was nearing bursting point, she realised she was in the dormitories. (And it's worth pointing out that this was an entirely different building.) Groaning with effort, Quinn leant against a wall. She could knock on one of the doors, on the off chance that there was a boy in there and ask to use his bathroom (they had to have personal ones here, didn't they?) but that seemed very unlikely.

She forced herself on, concentrating more with every step on trying to keep her bladder from exploding.

"There has to be something around here somewhere..." she groaned. As she turned a corner, she caught sight of one of the students and called out. "Hey! Hey, excuse me!"

The boy turned, and Quinn's breath caught in her throat in a way that was so familiar. It was the boy she had seen earlier. Close up, his eyes were even more fascinating. Though there was something in them that she couldn't put her finger on...

"Yes?" he asked brusquely. Quinn realised what that something was: nothing. His eyes were empty.

"Is there a bathroom around here I can use?" she gasped, deciding to call him out on it later.

The boy sighed. "Follow me," he said. Quinn gratefully trotted after him. "This is my room," he told her as he stopped outside a door. "Don't touch anything."

"Thank you so much!"

The boy didn't say anything.

"Oh." Quinn paused in the doorframe. "And would you terribly mind waiting for me? My sense of direction is..."

"Just hurry up," he interrupted. Without even enough time to smile a thanks at him, Quinn darted into the room.

Artemis sighed irritably to himself. Of course a girl would get lost and waste valuable time. It was bad enough he had to deal with imbeciles for an entire term and Butler not be allowed on the grounds, now he would be forced to entertain a girl. From her accent he surmised that she was from Kilkenny, and though considerably well read for the average teenagers, she was certainly not from money.

While waiting for her, Artemis leant against the opposite wall. Maybe he didn't have as much control over puberty as he thought, although he admittedly hadn't had much opportunity to test himself beyond Minerva. When he had first seen her from a distance of ten metres, her fiery, coppery hair, startlingly bright blue eyes and smooth complexion had caused his chest to constrict, but as she'd drawn closer he picked out her imperfections and quelled the feelings.

He reminded himself of those imperfections when he blinked and a mane of red hair flashed behind his lids. Her teeth were not straight; her eyes too big for the rest of her face; her nose was crooked, as if it had been broken and not set properly; there were scars across her collar.

Satisfied, Artemis nodded. He would be himself once again.

Meanwhile, inside his room, although he didn't know it, Quinn was having a poke around. His room was very clean, cleaner than her own was, though for all she knew it was regulation and there were routine checks. However, the tidiness meant that it was impossible to nosey about successfully without disturbing everything, so with a slightly disappointed sigh, Quinn went back out into the hall.

She smiled at the boy gratefully. "Thank you so much, uh..."

"Artemis Fowl the Second."

"Artemis," Quinn echoed thoughtfully. "Wasn't she the Roman goddess of the hunter and moon?"

"Greek, actually," Artemis corrected her.

"Ah, yes. _Diana_ is the Roman one. I'm always getting those two confused..." She smiled heartily at her saviour and offered a hand. "My name's Quinn Murphy."

Artemis merely nodded. "Where are you meeting your family?"

Quinn's smile tightened and she slowly clenched her hand into a fist. "In the entrance hall," she answered. Artemis started walking and, with an angry exhale, Quinn followed.

"Oh, and they're not my family," she added once she'd caught up with him. "They're my best friend's family." She paused to give her acquaintance time to answer, and when he didn't she rolled her eyes and continued anyway. "Do you know Randolph Cuddihy?" Artemis's lip curled automatically into a sneer, something that Quinn didn't miss. "Yeah, I don't like him either. The arrogant bastard," she muttered to herself.

They walked for a few moments more. Quinn felt the want - no, the _need_ - to talk to him grow stronger, until she couldn't keep her curiosity in. There hadn't been any personal effects in his bedroom and she was wondering about his family. She felt a morbid excitement when she wondered if he were an orphan, too.

"So how come you're not with _your_ family?" she asked him.

For a few moments Quinn thought he wouldn't answer. But then:

"They had to leave early."

When she realised that was all he was going to offer, Quinn grinned, enjoying in the challenge.

"How come?" An innocent enough question, she reasoned.

"My brothers are very young, and there is a long journey home."

"How old are they? Where do you live?"

"They are two."

"Aw, that's such a cute age! I love little kids. I'm a kinda unofficial, unpaid babysitter back home, but most of the kids are five now and I swear Kyle's got them all believing I'm some kinda pin cushion or piñata or something..."

She kept up the babbling until they reached the ground floor of the dorm building, when she turned to Artemis and said: "Would it be okay if I could meet them sometime?"

He raised an eyebrow. Quinn shrugged as if to say, _Hey, I like kids_.

"I am afraid not."

"Why?"

After a beat or two, Artemis looked away. "I am sure you can find your way to the entrance hall from here."

"Okay," Quinn agreed, disappointed. Then she reached up and wrapped her arms around the boy's shoulders. He stood for a moment before placing a hand on her back for a brief second. Quinn figured (correctly) that that was the best she would get, so she pulled away, and as she did so gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"See you around, Artemis Fowl the Second," she said sweetly, maybe fluttering her eyelashes a bit more than necessary. Hey, he was really good-looking, what harm could a little flirting do?

As she walked away, she sashayed her hips just a little more than normal. Artemis missed none of these hints and, although the idea amused him more than anything else, it wasn't until he was halfway back to his room that he realised he was touching his cheek.

_This is ridiculous,_ he thought crossly. _She's just a girl, and you will never see her again. Not that it would matter even if you did._

Meanwhile, Quinn was scanning the entrance hall for the telltale pink stripe that Naomi had clipped into her hair that morning. She spotted it (and then chided herself for not thinking the obvious) by the antique mirror, and pushed her way through. Naomi saw her reflection and whirled around.

"Quinny, where _were_ you? I've been waiting here for aaaages!"

"Sorry, Nay." Quinn smiled guiltily. "I got a little lost."

Naomi looked at her friend, and recognised the look. She smiled sneakily.

"So who's the guy?"

"What guy?" Quinn asked innocently. Too innocently.

"The one you spent ages wasting time talking with. Although maybe not that much talking..." Naomi winked at Quinn, who laughed. She had barely talked to Artemis for ten minutes, yet she knew that he would never, under any circumstances, do anything remotely close to she was thinking.

"Maybe I'll tell you later," she sort-of promised. Happy with that, Naomi grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her away to meet up with the remainder of the Cuddihy family. And soon after, as the car pulled away from the school, Quinn looked up at the dormitories and thought of Artemis. She didn't know which way his room was facing, but she closed her eyes and imagined that he was looking out his window, watching her go. With a small smile that she knew Naomi wouldn't miss and wouldn't drop, Quinn felt her lips tingling, and imagined what could have been.

**Wow. How long has it been since my last update? I am suuuuper sorry! And I hope this crazy long chapter more than makes up for it ;) haha.**

**I am afraid, however, that it will be a long time until my next update. Not only do I get massive amounts of homework (A levels are insane - seriously!), but I have other stories that have me wrapped around their metaphorical little fingers. It's quite pathetic, actually, though I hope at least most of you understand what I'm talking about!**

**What did you think of this chapter? I tried really hard to keep Artemis in character! (Did I succeed? Let me know please!) And I hope you all like Quinn - I'm trying hard to keep her away from the dreaded Sue grounds, too.**

**I have to admit, I'm not used to writing in third person - most of my stories, one shots, song fics and so on are written in first. I prefer it, mostly because I love how I can convey emotion and not detract from the story, because the prose is only as balanced as the narrator. In third person, there's little justification for missing part of a conversation. Also, as you may have noticed (and in only the first chapter!) that I tend to slip into other characters' points of view for a couple of paragraphs. I can't help it. So I apologise in advance for that!**

**Please leave me reviews! If you do, I'll give you a sexy picture of Arty surrounded by the fetish of your choice. ;) (I have a Deviant Art - very deviant indeed!) (Also... how do I respond to reviews? Is it possible? *LOLN00B*)**


	2. Chapter 2, Research

**As promised to KayDee... UPDATE! :D Excuses come after the chapter. Also a BIIIIG apology.**

**Gods, I hate this chapter... ¬¬**

* * *

Lunchtime at Grennan College was always the same. Quinn and her gang usually went out to the local park or chip shop, sometimes both. They were most people's definition of 'rowdy teenagers', though in truth that was only a small portion - most of Quinn's friends, including Quinn, just loved to have fun.

Less than two weeks after the Saint Bartleby's parents' day, Quinn cracked. At the orphanage there was one computer that all fourteen children had to share and was only allowed to be used for school-related work,; Quinn didn't belong to a library so couldn't use a computer for free there; and it was quite expensive for someone with no money to go to an internet café. So, on the day that she cracked, she didn't go out at lunch, and instead went to the computer lab.

"Don't be such a nerd," one of the 'rowdy' ones, Levi, had sneered.

"In case you don't remember, Libby lives in the orphanage too," Quinn retorted, "and Phil and Mary actually like her." Phil and Mary were the couple who owned the orphanage and, for lack of other candidates, they were also many of the children's parents. It wasn't strictly true that they didn't like Quinn; more that Libby was a braniac and did her work.

"So?"

"_So_, I need to do some research for that local history assignment Mrs McCarthy gave us."

"I should probably start on that," Patty (one of Quinn's closest friends) said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"You two are so boring!" Levi exclaimed, rolling her eyes. Quinn and Patty exchanged looks.

"Levi, just come on," called another one, "or there'll be a massive line in the chippie again."

Without another glance Levi ran off the catch up with everyone else, leaving Quinn and Patty on their own. They looked at each other again, Patty shrugged, and then they had started walking.

"You were lying, weren't you?" Patty stated. Quinn smiled to herself. Patty was probably her closest friend, excluding Naomi, and she almost always seemed to be able to read Quinn like a book.

"Yes, I was." After all, there was no point in pretending otherwise.

"So what do you really need the computer for?"

Quinn pondered for a moment about how much she should tell her. She decided that the truth couldn't hurt. Though maybe not the whole truth.

"Well, I met this boy..."

Patty smirked. "Oh, really?"

Quinn laughed. Why did everyone always jump to that conclusion? "Shut up, I didn't mean it like that."

"Then pray tell, how did you mean it?"

"He's one of the rich kids from Randy's school and, apparently, he's got two little brothers. And you know I need a summer job..."

"And the richies could pay well," Patty finished, nodding. "Okay, so why do you need to do research? Couldn't you just ask Naomi or something?"

Quinn laughed again. "He's a major hottie. Probably a total jerk, too, though. And I figure none of the Cuddihys would want me to hang out with a hot, rich jerk for an entire summer."

Patty nodded and looked thoughtful again. "If you find a picture, I gotta see it," she said suddenly as the two girls reached the computer lab.

"Deal."

Quinn went on a computer in a far corner and turned the screen so it was facing the wall before she logged on. Not for the first time, she wished they were faster. She was already impatient enough, having had to wait all morning to get on a computer in the first place, and was ready to punch the screen when it finally finished loading.

Finally! she thought to herself grumpily. She brought up Google and, though she didn't know it then, typed in the words that would change her life forever.

_Artemis Fowl the Second_.

It took Quinn an annoying seven minutes to locate some information of value. Apparently, they were an Irish family (Well, duh! Quinn thought, remembering Artemis's gentle brogue), his father, Artemis Fowl the First, had gone missing about four years ago but had since been rescued and recovered, and that they lived near Dublin.

After clicking on every link on the first twenty or so pages, Quinn decided to use a different search engine, hoping for slightly different results. Eventually, she came across an address (or at least their home): Fowl Manor. She went back to Google and typed _Fowl Manor_ into Maps. She got directions and then spent the remaining ten minutes of the lunch hour figuring out how exactly to get there and how long it would take.

"Here," someone suddenly said, snapping Quinn out of her daze. She looked up and saw Patty holding out a sandwich.

"Thanks." Quinn took it and had a bite, and then realised how hungry she was. Patty sat down beside her and waited for her to finish eating.

"So how'd your search for this mystery man go?" she asked, peering at the screen. Quinn quickly closed the page, and then winced when Patty looked at her accusingly. "What...?"

"Sorry," she muttered.

"No, no, it's fine. It's not like we're best friends or anything."

Quinn sighed as Patty stood up and stormed off. The reason they weren't closer was because of Patty's mood swings.

She'd get over it.

* * *

It was another week before Quinn got the chance to check out Fowl Manor. Unfortunately, she had almost no money left after losing a bet, so had had to borrow a few euros from Libby (not that the other girl knew yet) just to get a return ticket to Dublin.

As the train pulled up to the station, Quinn wished she had a bicycle, and she fingered the roller-skates around her neck forlornly. She just knew she'd be exhausted by the time she reached Fowl Manor.

And exhausted she was. Why was she even so hung up on a guy she'd barely met? It was pathetic, not to mention childish. Hadn't she grown out of this irrational immaturity when she was twelve?

But then she reached the avenue. Trees lined the road and Quinn felt the wind slide past her face and blow in through her hair. She let herself freewheel down the road, tilting her head back to feel the sun. So caught up was she that she almost missed the manor. (Quite a feat, considering the place was a massive 200 acres.)

Quinn approached the enormous gates, and felt a sense of foreboding. They were a gothic style and topped with spikes. Quinn knew that it would take a foolhardy idiot to try and break into this place.

She looked for some kind of intercom or super-powered doorbell (or god forbid, a gong) before finding a little white box to the right. Uncertainly, she pressed the button and stuttered out, "He-hello?"

I feel like Mia in _The Princess Diaries_, she thought to herself.

"What is your name and purpose?" came a deep voice, the speaker barely crackling.

"Uh, um, my name is Quinn Murphy, I'm looking for a job."

"Do you have an appointment?"

Quinn winced. Of course they would ask that, but she's hoped it wouldn't come up til later. Such as when she was on the _other_ side of the gates.

"Um, we-well no, but..."

"Mr and Mrs Fowl can only be seen with an appointment."

"Not even ten minutes?" Quin pleaded. "Only I've traveled for hours and I won't have any money to come back again."

She gets no reply. Beads of nervous sweat roll down the back of her neck, chilling her previously sun-warmed skin. She felt like she was about to turn around and flee when she got an answer.

"Wait there."

Quinn nodded, her body collapsing from relief, but by the time she realized the man couldn't see her, he'd already gone.

As a matter of fact, he was able to see her. Quinn had missed the security cameras all along the avenue. Butler had seen the red-headed girl from every angle as she'd approached.

He knocked on Mister Fowl's study and entered to see both adults sitting at the desk.

"Ah, hello, Butler."

The manservant bowed his head in return. "There is a girl at the gates asking to see you. She is looking for a job."

Artemis Senior and Angeline looked at each other and Butler could see a conversation pass between them. He'd never thought about having a bond like theirs: all his life, his focus was being the best bodyguard he could be, and now he had a charge to take care of.

In the almost-hidden avenue, Quinn chewed her lip. Was she really offering herself as a nanny just so she could find out more about a hot guy? And the fact that he was rich... Did that make her a gold digger? The only logical explanation was that she had really, truly gone insane.

An excruciating twenty minutes later, the man finally returned and buzzed open the gate.

"Thank you," she gasped before skating up the driveway. (It was a long drive.) When she reached the house, she changed back into her shoes and stowed her roller-skates in her bag, and then ran up the steps. She smoothed her hair and clothes and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately to the biggest man she had ever seen. Feeling like a molehill looking at Mount Everest, she gaped up at him.

"This way," he ordered. Quinn almost stumbled over herself in her haste to keep up. She knew that she would _never_ cross this man - he was easily twice her height, and at least three Quinns wide of pure muscle.

He took her through a grand entrance hall that made Saint Bartleby's look like a homeless shelter and then ended up in some sort of lounge. The walls had been decorated in gold leaf, and Quinn was willing to bet her life that the antique furniture was authentic and worth more than she would ever be. Sitting on one of the ornate couches were a man and a woman.

"Mr and Mrs Fowl, this is Quinn Murphy," Butler said. "Miss Murphy, Artemis and Angeline Fowl."

Angeline Fowl was probably the most beautiful woman Quinn had ever seen. Her brown hair was neat and shiny, her skin clear, her features dainty. Artemis the First was handsome, completely clean shaven with deep blue eyes and hair as black as ink. With parents like these, it was no wonder that Artemis the Second was so handsome.

"Thank you, Butler, you may leave." Mrs Fowl's voice was as elegant as her aura. They waited until Butler closed the door before turning to Quinn. Both of them were stern-faced, although the lady had a warm atmosphere.

"Butler told us you're looking for a job," Mr Fowl started. Quinn nodded, suddenly mute. "Do you have a particular one in mind?"

"Ah, um." Quinn cleared her throat. "Sorry, um. I was wondering if I could possibly be a babysitter or a nanny?"

"We already have a nanny," said Mr Fowl.

"Assistant nanny?" Quinn blurted out. Mrs Fowl laughed delightedly as her husband chuckled, somehow without an accompanying smile.

"Why did you choose here?" the lady asked. Quinn realized she's talk a lot (nervous babbling was an unfortunate trait of hers) so she cleared her throat again.

"Well, I finish school in a few weeks and I really need a job for the summer, but I don't want to work in a shop or anything. I asked the Cuddihys if they knew anyone -"

"In Kilkenny?" Mrs Fowl interrupted. Quinn nodded. "Such a lovely family! Timmy, we should visit them soon, it's been too long," she added to her husband.

"Yes, dear. Now let Miss Murphy finish."

"Sorry, Quinn." Mrs Fowl smiled. "I have a tendency to carry on."

"It's okay." The girl smiled nervously. "Um, they gave me a few names and I - I recognized yours. Your son, Artemis, helped me once."

"Did he really?" Mrs Fowl sounded proud.

Quinn nodded and looked down, embarrassed. "I went with the Cuddihys to the Parents' Day and I got lost trying to find the bathroom."

"That was good of him," said Mr Fowl.

"Yes, so, I came here first because I figured I'd at least sort of know someone, or there'd be someone close to my own age."

"How old are you?" asked Mr Fowl.

"I'm, uh, sixteen," she said. "But I turn seventeen on December the first."

Mrs Fowl nodded. "Don't Mr and Mrs Cuddihy have a son?"

"Yeah - yes, even. Devin. Well, um." She hesitated. She couldn't exactly tell them she was stalking their son! "He's got me wrapped around his finger," she admitted, because it was mostly true. "I mean, I've known him his whole life. He reminds me of a Labrador puppy."

"Alright, then. Do you have any qualifications or experience?" asked Mr Fowl.

"I'm just about to start my exams and I've never had a proper job, but sometimes I look after the kids... uh, where I live. They're five and seven now but I looked after them a few years ago, too." After a slight hesitation, she added, "I'm sorry I don't have any references or anything. And I'm sorry I didn't call - this is the only way I could think of how to contact you."

"It's quite all right, Quinn; today hasn't been very busy," Mrs Fowl assured her, and then looked at her husband. "Right, dear?"

Mr Fowl nodded slowly. "We will have to call your parents and the Cuddihys, but of course you have no objections?"

"Ac-actually, I do have _one_..." Quinn said slowly. Mr Fowl raised an eyebrow. "My parents are, um, well I'm not actually sure, but I think they're dead."

"You're an orphan?" Mrs Fowl asked, shock and sympathy and concern in her voice.

"Yeah - yes," she confessed awkwardly, twisting her hands on her lap. "I live in Baycliff Orphanage in Kilkenny, which is why I really need a job. But I don't want that to be a deciding factor which is why I didn't say anything," she added hastily.

"Nonsense," dismissed Mr Fowl. "The only deciding factor, as you put it, is if it would be in our sons' best interests."

Quinn nodded. "Understood, sir."

Mr Fowl smiled again, but then went back to business. "So why should we hire you?"

"Well, I'm good with kids - Devin loves me and the kids at the orphanage used to before I became their punch bag. Uh, I'm a hard worker, I don't complain, I do what I'm told... I'm - I'm polite, helpful... Uh..." She glanced at the Fowls for hints. "How's - how's that?" she asked in a small voice.

"That's very good," Mrs Fowl said gently.

"How are your grades?" asked Mr Fowl.

"They're... average, I suppose: mostly Bs, with a few Cs, and the occasional A and D. Oh!" she exclaimed as she remembered something, "and I can get kids to do things they don't wanna do, like eat their vegetables or learn to count."

"That would come in useful with Beckett," Mrs Fowl giggled.

Mr Fowl let out a small laugh as he looked at his wife, and then he turned back to Quinn and said, "If you wait outside while we discuss, we'll be able to tell you today whether or not you have a job."

"Thank you." Quinn stood up and gave them an awkward, unbalanced curtsey, and then left the room. Outside, the first thing she saw was, what was it, Butler? Gulping back her fear of the mountainous man, she held out a quivering hand. "H-hi, my name is-is Quinn," she stuttered.

"Butler," he returned in his deep voice, and enveloped her hand with his. She stared down at his mammoth hand, which reached far past her wrist, with saucer-wide eyes. Butler chuckled dryly when he saw her expression.

_I definitely won't be hurting any of the Fowls,_ Quinn thought. She had to tilt her head all the way up to look at him!

"Are you the h-head of security?" she squeaked, still terrified out of her wits.

"I am the bodyguard of Artemis the Second, Mr and Mrs Fowl's eldest son. I am also their cook, and, yes, head of security."

"Okay."

"What job are you after?" Butler asked her, fixing his stare on the girl. Not that he needed to be any more intimidating; now Quinn was about ready to faint.

"Assistant nanny," she said, her voice nearing dog-whistle levels. Butler simply nodded, and then the two stood in fearful (on Quinn's part) silence until Mrs Fowl opened the door to let her back in. The woman sat down next to her husband who put a hand on her knee, and Quinn sat on a Victorian armchair opposite them and clasped her hands between her legs. Neither adult showed any sign of their decision. Quinn's heart raced; her palms went clammy; her throat went dry. And then Mrs Fowl beamed at her and Quinn's body slumped in obvious relief.

"We like you for a job," Mrs Fowl said.

"Because this is your first job and you are quite young, we have decided that you only need work five days a week, during which time you will stay here if your guardians will allow it. We will provide you with transport on Tuesday morning and Saturday evening. You are not expected to pay for food or housing, and we will replace anything of yours that breaks; although if you break anything of ours then it will be docked from your paycheck. Your wage is five hundred euros a day," said Mr Fowl, sounding every inch the business man.

Quinn's jaw dropped. _Five hundred euros?_ She'd be working for at least eight weeks... She didn't even know! That kind of mental maths was beyond her.

"Of course, it does all depend on if Myles and Beckett like you," Mrs Fowl interjected.

"Wow, yeah," she said breathlessly. "I hope they do."

"Our nanny took them out for the day but they should be home soon." Mrs Fowl checked her thin gold watch. "We'll let you meet the three of them, and then we'll meet with your guardians and get everything sorted, ready for the summer."

"Thank you very much for this opportunity, Mr and Mrs Fowl!"

Angeline Fowl let out a tinkling laugh, but then excused herself to call the nanny.

The atmosphere settled to be a little more tense. Mr Fowl didn't carry the same easy air as his wife did, and Quinn was still far too nervous to relax.

For the next hour, he explained the rules of the household. He told her what they were trying to instill into their boys, so she wouldn't give any conflicting information.

"Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, sir." Quinn's mind raced as she forced herself to remember everything. If she'd been at school she would have stopped listening after the first ten minutes and forgotten it just as quickly.

"Excellent."

Mr Fowl stood, but Quinn noticed that one of his legs was stiff. She remembered reading that the man had lost a leg - and when he noticed her gaze, he chuckled and confirmed it.

"I'm sorry for staring," she muttered, dropping her eyes to the floor in embarrassment.

"Curiosity is an important quality. Though perhaps you should be somewhat more subtle in the future."

"Yes, thank you for your advice." She only just managed to stop herself from adding "Sir".

Her new employer now excused himself without reason, leaving Quinn to wait with Butler for the children's return.

* * *

**First, excuses: SCHOOL IS EVIL! I just started my A levels and I'm not equipped to work so hard! I hardly have any time to write. Also WRITER's BLOCK IS EVIL! This chapter was a bitch to write.**

**Now, apology: the next chapter will be a horribly long time coming, too. :( Again, school. And I'm a little stuck with the plot. So, any ideas? I need your theories to fuel my inspiration! PLEASE? (But I will definitely finish this, no worries!)**

**Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed! To be honest, I'm surprised there are so many (8) people who are reading this... :O Thank you so much for all your support! You're awesome.**

**BTW, what do you guys think of the prologue? After SLIGHT revision of the plot, it may not even make any sense any more. So do you think I should delete it or do you want me to keep it until I'm sure? Much appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3, The Nanny and the Twins

**Thank you SO MUCH EVERYONE for you reviews, alerts and favourites! If you left a signed review, I should have replied (if not I'M SORRY). And I seriously cannot thank you enough for being so patient with me... I LOVE YOU ALL.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, or...anything you recognise. I do, however, own Quinn, and everyone who lives in the orphanage. So hands off.**

**Now, onto apologies...**

**I AM SO SO SO SORRY. It's been at least half a year since I last updated and all I can give you is a pathetic, drawn-out, short excuse for a chapter. This one was a bitch to write. Although I will admit I spent a while delaying writing this chapter until I had the plot completely figured out. Which I do. So that's one bit of good news, hooray!**

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"This way, Miss Murphy." Butler's low voice made Quinn jump. He lead her up a grand staircase and through decorated halls. Quinn found herself falling behind too often to stare at the décor and architecture, the paintings and portraits in detailed frames, the leaf border and marble busts. The entire building was grand and sophisticated.

_Pay attention,_ Quinn scolded herself after she'd had to run after Butler for the fourth time. Since she was confident the twins would like her, she was guaranteed the job and therefore could gawp at the house to her heart's content during the summer.

Eventually, the pair ended up in a playroom. Quinn stared in amazement (and perhaps a little bit of jealousy, though she thought she'd long since trained herself not to envy the rich) - there were more toys in here than even Devon had! With its slides, small pool of coloured balls, blocks ranging from the size of her middle finger to the length of her calf, and more cars than she could possibly count or name, the sizable room was as if five nurseries had collided to form one super-nursery; and not only that, there were children's' chemical sets and books of varying complication which looked like they should belong in high schools and universities.

"All this is theirs?" Quinn asked breathlessly, her fear forgotten.

Until Butler answered, and then she remembered her fear.

"Yes, although they have more in their bedroom and the second playroom through there." He nodded in the direction of a closed door, keeping his hands firmly by his side. Quinn wondered if he had a gun, and suddenly sweat broke out on her forehead.

"U-um, do you have a bathroom I can use?" Quinn asked, forcing her voice to sound calm while mentally berating herself for such a stupid question. Of _course_ they would have a bathroom.

"Follow me."

Butler strode away, Or perhaps he was walking normally and just had a long step. Either way, Quinn had to jog to keep up.

There was a bathroom, thankfully, just down the corridor. Quinn locked the door and allowed herself a few moments to inspect the shining, well, everything before doing her business.

After she was done, Quinn splashed her face and stared at her dripping reflection in the mirror. _There's no need to be so scared,_ she told herself. _Butler will only hurt you if you give him reason to. What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? You're not usually such a scaredy-cat! You came all the way from Kilkenny just to find out more about some guy, for Crissake!_

As they went back to the playroom, Butler pointed out the nanny's bedroom (although she apparently mostly went home after the twins went to bed, now they were sleeping through the night), what would likely be her bedroom, and the twins' bedroom. He told her Mr and Mrs Fowl's bedroom was just down the corridor and the twins usually went to them if they woke up in the night. His and Artemis' rooms were in the other wing.

Back in the playroom, Quinn forced herself to look around. With slight hesitation, she went through to the other playroom. Butler stayed by the first door, but Quinn could feel his eyes on her back at all times.

It wasn't long - only thirty minutes according to the clock on the wall, although it seemed much longer to Quinn - before she heard two sets of footsteps: one light and quick, the second much slower and calmer. Quinn went back into the first room and saw a woman with two boys, carrying one while the other walked beside her - the nanny and the twins. The nanny looked in her early thirties, with short light brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail and a kind, open face. The twins were mostly identical; they had the same dark blue eyes as both Artemis Fowls and short blonde curls, but one was slightly pudgier and the one being carried was sucking his thumb, despite the nanny's best attempts to pull it out. Trying her best to ignore Butler's inescapable presence, Quinn smiled.

It wasn't until the trio entered the playrooms that they saw Quinn. The nanny smiled and put down a twin, who regarded her curiously with his thumb still in his mouth, while the other one walked up to her and asked bluntly, "Who are you?"

Quinn, not dropping her smile, squatted to his level and replied in her cheeriest tone, "I'm Quinn. Who are you?"

"Myles."

"Hello, Myles."

"Hello. Why are you in our playroom?"

"Hopefully, I'll be helping out your nanny for the summer holidays."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to see Professor Primate then?"

Quinn was impressed at how well he spoke and how clear his words were; he must have turned three in the last few weeks, or should do soon, as well as being very advanced. The kids in the orphanage were a lot less developed at two.

"Professor Primate?"

"He's my monkey," Myles announced. "Over here!" He ran into the next playroom and Quinn pushed herself back to her feet, smiling at the nanny.

"You're very good with him," she commented.

"Thank you." She held out a hand. "I'm Quinn Murphy."

"Ellen Builder." She laughed. "I'd shake your hand but I'm a bit sticky at the moment."

"That's alright."

Quinn crouched next to Beckett and opened her mouth to speak to him, but Myles came running back in, eagerly holding out Professor Primate, a stuffed monkey crammed in a beaker. Quinn

"Here he is!"

"Oo, isn't he handsome?"

"No, he's Professor Primate," Myles corrected, shaking his head at Quinn. The girl bit back a laugh. She then turned to Beckett and asked him what his name was. His thumb popped out of his mouth so he could answer, but Myles cut in. "That's Beckett. He's my twin brother."

"Hello, Beckett." She smiled at him, and he grinned back.

"Hello."

"Boys, why don't you show Quinn your fort?" Ellen suggested.

"Okay!" they chorused. Beckett ran past Quinn, pulling her along by repeatedly grabbing her leg.

The fort was a large plastic castle with no roof and two 'rooms', of which one had been designated the dungeon by Myles and held only a small plastic stool. The other 'room' had four red wooden chairs around a round table, plastic swords (only one had a scabbard), and two shields; the walls had paintings of tapestries, suits of armour and the same coat of arms which Quinn had noticed hanging in the sort-of lounge earlier.

"This is a fantastic fort," Quinn commended.

"Mum and Dad made it," Beckett said.

"Really? Wow," Quinn said, although she thought it much more likely they have commissioned it than making it themselves.

Over the next two hours, the twins introduced Quinn to some of their favourite toys - the rest were apparently in a shed outside - and Quinn quizzed Ellen about working with them. When she realised, after Beckett stuck Play-Doh in her hair, that she had forgotten about Butler, she looked back at the door and saw he'd gone. She began to wonder what he was doing while she untangled the Play-Doh, but then got distracted when Beckett decided to put some down Myles' T-shirt.

At about five o' clock, Angeline Fowl herself came to fetch Quinn. The elegant woman said she would accompany her home in one of their limousines to talk to her guardians.

"You're going?" Myles' face fell.

"Don't worry, sprout, I'll be back before you know it!"

"Really?"

"Definitely."

She said goodbye to Ellen while Mrs Fowl hugged the twins and reminded them to be good.

* * *

"I see that Myles and Beckett have become quite attached to you," Mrs Fowl commented after closing the partition to the driver's seat.

Quinn smiled, tapping her fingers against her leg to try and alleviate her nerves. "They're wonderful children. How old are they?" she asked.

"They turned three five days ago."

"They're quite advanced for three-year-olds."

Mrs Fowl laughed lightly in agreement, and then asked Quinn about the orphanage. She was unabashedly curious and occasionally accidentally insulting about her everyday life. "Do you all go to the same school?" "Who makes your meals?" "Do you really wash everything by hand?" "Do you get an allowance?" "Where do you do homework?"

Eventually, Mrs Fowl ran out of questions. There was still a forty minute drive ahead and, as she began to feel awkward, Quinn almost wished Mrs Fowl wasn't done.

"U-um, Mrs Fowl?"

"Yes, Miss Murphy?"

"I was just wondering, uh..." She faltered. But Mrs Fowl was looking at her expectantly so she cleared her throat and continued. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the history of Fowl Manor? It looks so old..."

The next forty minutes were happily filled with Quinn's eager questions and Mrs Fowl's delighted explanations, which were significantly more detailed and cheerful than Quinn's.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot." Mrs Fowl tapped on the partition, which slid open, and an expensive-looking leather handbag was passed through. "Reimbursement for your train tickets."

"You don't have to do that," Quinn said, flushing.

"Nonsense. Mr Fowl and I discussed it and, considering your allowance, it is more than fair for us to return your train money."

"Thank you...for being so generous..."

Mrs Fowl shook her head as she took some notes out of her pocket. "It's nothing to worry about," she assured Quinn kindly, although the girl suddenly felt very insignificant and pathetic. Of course a return ticket was nothing to worry about - the Fowls had more than enough money to probably buy the entire company and still have enough for a cruise around the world! Her eyes stung as she swallowed, and she looked down at the money on her lap so Mrs Fowl couldn't see her watering eyes.

Soon after that, they arrived at Baycliffe Orphanage. A group of children who were playing in the front garden gaped at the limousine, and Quinn flushed darkly when she stepped out and the children started whispering, though she ignored them.

"Their office is through here," she said, leading Mrs Fowl to Phil and Mary's office just past the stairs. Luckily, Phil was in there at that moment, budgeting.

"Ah, Quinn, hello." His grey eyes quickly took in Mrs Fowl's wealthy appearance. He quickly got to his feet to shake her hand and invited her to sit down. While the two introduced themselves, Quinn hesitated by the door, uncertain of what she should do.

"I apologise my being unexpected, but I'm afraid Miss Murphy only contacted my husband and I this morning."

"That's fine. I hope she hasn't been any trouble, Mrs Fowl." Phil glanced at Quinn wearily, and she crossed her arms tightly over her chest and pursed her lips.

"None at all. In fact, she's offered a great service. If it is alright with you and Mrs Adams, we would like for Miss Murphy to be a part-time assistant nanny over the summer holiday."

Phil's eyebrows raised and his jaw fell open slightly, although he quickly gathered himself again.

"Well, uh, I don't see why not..."

"We will, of course, donate to your orphanage." Mrs Fowl went into her purse again but this time, took out a cheque. Quinn couldn't see how much it was, but from how much Phil's eyes bulged, she guessed it was quite a lot.

"Ah, thank you, Mrs Fowl..." he said faintly. "This is much appreciated."

Mrs Fowl smiled and nodded.

"I am also here to discuss the arrangements with you, if you have the time now."

"Of course." Phil looked up at Quinn. "Quinn, wait outside, and shut the door behind you."

"Yes, Phil," she agreed grudgingly. She was the one who wanted the job! Why should she have to wait outside while everything was decided for her? She almost slammed the door behind her so Phil would know she was upset, but she didn't want Mrs Fowl to doubt her maturity any more than she probably did and would.

So, instead of slamming the door, she sulked in one of the five uncomfortable plastic chairs opposite the office and snapped at anyone who tried talking to her.

It seemed too long Mrs Fowl was in there. The clock on the opposite wall was perpetually frozen at seven past three, although the second hand still ticked, trying to move forward but stuck at exactly forty-two seconds until someone got round to changing the batteries. It seemed like a hundred years before Mrs Fowl came out. Quinn straightened up immediately.

"I'll see you on the ffiteenth of June, Miss Murphy," Mrs Fowl said, smiling.

"'Bye, Mrs Fowl."

Quinn stood next to Phil at the office door watching Mrs Fowl seemingly float down the corridor.

"Quinn..."

"Yeah, Phil?"

"Next time you go somewhere without telling someone, you'll be grounded for life. Got it?"

"Sure."

"Good."

"Anything else?"

"Yes." Quinn looked at him. He looked older than usual, worry and frustration on every line on his face. "You're grounded for the rest of the term. Now go to your room."

"But-"

"Now," he repeated. He didn't raise his voice but Quinn could feel his building anger. "Or you won't get dinner tonight."

"Fine. You're welcome for that donation, by the way," she snapped, before storming up the stairs.

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**Here's a nice little homage: the name of the nanny. Ellen Builder is a character in one of my all-time favourite books, 'The Pillar of the Earth' by Ken Follett. It's the longest thing I've ever read (about 1070 pages) but worth it. I think Ellen would be labelled a main character. I'm not too sure. The book has such an intricate plot, haha. Although she's only called 'Builder' after she marries Tom Builder, who is definitely one of the main characters. **SPOILER**They both die by Part Four (I think).**END SPOILER** But you should totally read it, if you can! :D**

**I have so far been awful with updates, which I really am sorry for. However, as I turned 17 yesterday, I have decided to just get on with it! I will try and update every two weeks - at least - maybe even more frequently, if I'm hit with inspiration!**

**A final note about the story: I've decided this is set in the summer of 2010, just so I could make a timetable of sorts. Well, I know what date everything happens now!**


	4. Chapter 4, Questions

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise - the Fowls, Lord of the Flies, even Ellen Builder the nanny - and nor would I want to, otherwise they wouldn't be as fantastic as they are now. I do, however, own Quinn and her friends.**

**Quick note: The word 'lashers' is one made up by me (I think), and by extension Quinn and her friends, to talk about parties where there will be alcohol without adults realising.**

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_There is absolutely no point,_ Quinn thought to herself rather than listen to Patty, _in the last week of school._

Her classmates were throwing paper planes, talking loudly about their summer plans, texting on phones which were above desk level, and a couple of girls were reapplying make up. Mrs Wagg wasn't trying to control them, preferring to read an _OK!_ magazine; at this point, she was only there to stop the classroom from turning into _Lord of the Flies_.

An obnoxious boy with too much gel in his hair named Evan suddenly sprawled himself out on the desk between Quinn and Patty, cutting off the latter girl's rant about her family.

"Do you mind?" she asked coldly.

"Not at all." Evan smirked at her and then turned to Quinn. He raised an eyebrow in what he must have thought was a seductive manner, but really just made him look like an idiot. "So, got any plans for the summer, babe? My folks are gone a-a-a-all month." He winked at her and, as if he needed to make his meaning clearer, thrust his pelvis into the air a couple of times.

Quinn snorted. They had gone on one bad date and had one sloppy kiss, and now he thought himself a real Casanova.

"Not even in your dreams," she retorted.

"Oh, baby," Evan moaned. "Your words wound me, right here." He laid a hand over his heart, and then pushed himself up and went back over to his rowdy mates.

Quinn muttered a very nasty name under her breath, glaring at the desk so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking at him.

About ten minutes from the end of the year, a friend of Quinn's to whom she wasn't particularly close called Jessica came over to talk to Patty and Quinn; the rest of the group followed.

"Heya, girls," she greeted as if they hadn't just spent lunch at the chippy.

"Hi Jess."

"Hey."

"Either of you up for partyin' tonight? My cousin's friend in sixth year is throwin' one." She winked at them conspiratorially. "His folks are in Dublin for the week so there'll be no adults and plenty a' booze."

"Sounds like a blast," Quinn said. "Though I'm still grounded so it all depends if I can sneak out or not."

"Chances?"

"Slim." Quinn pulled a face. "Since those twins came in, I've been rooming with Libby."

Levi snorted and called Libby a horrible name, and Quinn had to swallow back a biting defense. Sure, she didn't like Libby for being a goody-two-shoes and working hard, but she couldn't blame the girl for wanting to get away from the orphanage. They didn't exactly have lots of money.

"What about you, Patty?" Jess asked.

"Male prospects?"

"Hot, older guys."

"Then count me there!"

Patty and Jess started talking about the party, and Levi turned to Quinn.

"I really hope you can come, she said insincerely. "It just won't be the same without you."

"I'm sure it won't. But as long as you _try_ to have fun, right?" Quinn raised an eyebrow and smiled innocently at Levi, who bared her teeth in an aggressive grin.

"Yeah, but there is other parties at least," Joel piped up, ignoring the atmosphere. "I got plenty of people I know who can throw a lasher."

Quinn shrugged. "Actually, I'm not here for most of the holiday."

"Why?" Levi asked.

"I'm out of town."

"Yeah but _why_? You're poor as feck."

Quinn almost snapped, but then reminded herself she'd be the richest kid in the school by the end of the summer.

Not that any of them would know.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Quinn said stiffly.

"I think you're not saying because you've gone soft," Levi sneered. "I don't think you can handle all-night lashers any more."

"Actually, Quinn's got a boyfriend," Patty said, suddenly joining their conversation. She met Quinn's eye and raised her eyebrows, telling the red-headed girl to go along with it.

"Yeah," she agreed reluctantly.

"In Dublin," Patty added. "Which is why she's going out of town."

"Ohmygod, Quinny, that's so wicked!" Jess squealed. "Tell me _everything_."

_About my fake boyfriend or every fact of the universe itself?_ Quinn thought sarcastically. Out loud, she said, "There's not really much to tell."

"Come o-o-o-on! There've gotta be _some_ juicy details. How did you meet? Is he hot? Have you had sex yet?"

"Some club in Dublin when I went there a couple of weeks ago. Very hot: black hair, blue eyes, about yea high." She held her hand about four inches above her head. "No, we have not had sex."

Jess' eyes lit up. "Oh I see. You're gonna have sex this summer. Brilliant!"

Quinn rolled her eyes.

"What club was it?" Levi asked.

"I dunno. Spider or Snake or Scorpion or maybe some kind of insect."

Joel looked at her strangely. "Isn't spiders an insect?"

"Spiders are _arachnids_, ya gobshite," Levi scoffed.

"Well, sorry we're not all Science nerds."

"_What?_"

The bell went and the class was too busy escaping to cheer. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god she wouldn't have to listen to an argument.

In the corridor, she let the other students get between herself and her friends - she just couldn't be bothered with Levi's snark or Patty's inevitable questions or Jess' peppiness or Joel's idiocy. She wasn't even all that fussed about missing the party. Honestly, she'd never really liked parties, especially lashers; she'd only ever gone along with it so she wouldn't become a school pariah like Libby, which was the same reason why she never had more than three beers. Or had sex. Naomi was the only one who knew she was making up her drinking habits and sex life.

That night as she was lying in bed, she realised the fake boyfriend she'd described was Artemis Fowl the Second, and she laughed herself to sleep.

* * *

For the next five days, every waking moment brought about an hourly emotional change: nervous about her first day; kicking herself for going in the first place; worried she'd be a bad nanny; anxious about seeing Artemis again; euphoric she'd pulled it off; excited to hang out with the twins; and then the cycle would start all over again.

On the sixth day, a car arrived for Quinn at half past four in the morning. She had a little over a week's worth of clothes and a couple of things to do in a suitcase, so, still mostly asleep, she dragged the suitcase to the car, flopped into the backseat, and fell back to sleep.

When she awoke again a couple of hours later, she realised that she was not in a limo and felt a little bit disappointed. Limos were fun; she never got bored of them. This car was a five-seater sedan (was that a Ford logo on the steering wheel?) but with a custom leather interior and a balding chauffeur in the driver seat.

"We will arrive at Fowl Manor in approximately an hour and forty-five minutes, Miss Murphy," the driver suddenly said, startling Quinn; she hadn't realised he'd noticed she was awake.

"O-okay. Thank you."

The driver nodded. Quinn wondered what his name was. Phil? Stewart? Eoin? He looked like an Eoin, she decided.

But she didn't say anything. Maybe if she met him again she'd make conversation, but right now she had a new Zelda game to play.

It was, in fact, a little over two hours before they reached the avenue leading to Fowl Manor. Quinn put away her game to look at the drive - she was able to fully appreciate the scenery now she wasn't skating up it - and straightened up her hair and clothes. Well, she did have to look presentable, even if she would end up dirty later.

The car stopped at the bottom of the steps. Quinn stared up at the doors, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It took the driver saying "This way, Miss" to get her moving. She saw he was carrying her suitcase and was relieved; she probably would have dropped.

The driver opened the door and left the suitcase inside, nodded to Quinn, and then left again. He closed the door behind him, and Quinn was alone.

For a second of panic, she couldn't remember what Mr Fowl had said. But then she remembered she had to go to her room, report to Mr Fowl, and then officially begin her job.

She grabbed her suitcase and started pulling it to the stairs. To get to her room.. what was it? Left at the top of the stairs, third corridor on the left? That sounded about right. The playroom was almost at the end of the corridor, and she would ask Ellen which was her bedroom.

But then Myles and Beckett came running out of the family room covered in paint, quickly followed by a not-nearly-as-messy Ellen, putting an end to her thoughts.

"Quinn, you're here!" Myles shouted.

He grabbed onto her leg and, when he caught up, Beckett did too. Quinn blinked, surprised at their affection. They'd only met her for a few hours weeks ago. How had they become to attached already?

"They've really been looking forward to seeing you," Ellen said.

"I can tell." Quinn let go of her suitcase and patted both boys on the back. Was she allowed to hug them? Mr Fowl hadn't said she couldn't...and there would be times when she'd have to pick them up...

She crouched down and scooped them both into her arms, paint be damned.

"Come and paint with us," Beckett said, pulling on her hand.

"In a minute, little man. I've got to go put my stuff in my room first."

"Okay."

Quinn smiled at him and ruffled his hair as she stood up.

"I've left your bedroom door open," Ellen told her as she started pushing the boys back to the playroom. "And Mr Fowl's office is left at the stairs, first door on the right."

Quinn nodded. "Thanks, Ellen." She picked up her suitcase again. "I'll be back as quick as I can."

Twenty-five minutes later, Quinn had quickly explored her room, laid out her toiletries, tied back most of her hair, and had checked in with Mr Fowl. She stopped at the top of the stairs, and looked right, where she remembered Ellen saying Artemis' bedroom was.

She wondered if he was home. Where would he be? He didn't seem the type to hide in his room all summer. Might he be hanging out with a rich date? Quinn laughed out loud; he didn't seem the type to date either, girl or boy.

Well, she'd probably end up seeing him at lunch anyway. What kind of mission would this be if she never even saw the subject? She and Ellen were allowed to eat with the family, mainly just so they could clean up the twins, but it was eating with the family all the same. She wondered if mealtime would be anything like the Cuddihys.

* * *

The family room was large and had expensive-looking paintings on the walls. They were probably original hundreds-year-old oil paintings, not the cheap water pencils that adorned the walls of the orphanage. The furniture was probably expensive and old too, although it was all covered in white plastic sheets. The same sheets protected a ten foot patch of the laminated floor, although it was covered in paper, paintbrushes and paint. Beckett and Myles were both wearing pants, T-shirts and sleeves aprons.

Quinn knelt down on a clean spot and clapped her hands together. "Alright, gang. What are we doing?"

"Painting!" the boys declared simultaneously.

"Ah, I love painting."

"Me too."

"Me three."

Ellen laughed.

They were still painting two hours later. Quin and Ellen both had sizable stacks of pictures given to them by the twins, and there was a third pile of pictures for Mr and Mrs Fowl and Artemis. Ellen had written on the backs what the pictures were supposed to be and who drew them, even though Myles' pictures were more accurate.

"Ellen, I'm hungry," Beckett said, resting his loaded paintbrush on his legs. _He'll be having a bath tonight,_ Quinn thought.

"Ellen, I'm hungry too," Myles decided. He leaned into his most recent, still wet painting.

"You'll be having lunch in a bit."

"But I'm hungry _now_," Myles complained while Beckett made a pathetic whining noise. Quinn was impressed at Ellen's resistance; she would probably have cracked under the twins' impressive identical pouts.

"Quinn, can I have something to eat?" Myles asked.

Quinn looked around, feeling a little flustered. "Uh, sorry boys, Ellen already said no."

"Pleeeeeeeease."

"How many times do we have to tell you to listen to Ellen?" said a new voice from the door.

"Artemis!" the twins shouted. They abandoned their brushes, ran over and began to beg him for food. He gave them an absolutely final no and, to Quinn's surprise, the twins fell silent. Granted, they sat back down on the mat and sulked, but still, they had stopped asking.

With butterflies in her stomach, Quinn looked up at the boy she was essentially stalking. But Artemis wasn't looking at her as he walked over to the mat and joined his younger brothers. Quinn felt her muscles relax, and was surprised to realise she couldn't pinpoint when they'd tensed.

"Will you be joining us today, Master Fowl?" Ellen asked. Artemis nodded, and then looked up. Quinn's heart thudded in her chest and her palms went clammy, but when he met her eyes, his cool, almost indifferent expression didn't change. "Ah, Master Fowl, this is the assistant nanny I was telling you about, Quinn Murphy. Quinn, this is Beckett and Myles' older brothers, Artemis Fowl the Second."

"Yes, we have already met," Artemis said, his tone unchanging, and nodded politely at her.

Quinn nodded back, her facial muscles refusing to smile, and also refusing to talk. She and Artemis continued to look at each other and, even though his expression stayed the same, she was sure they were having some sort of battle, or maybe he was judging her character - who would look away first? Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ellen's questioning look, and the twins had restarted painting, impervious to the atmosphere.

"Um, you're looking well, uh, Master Fowl," Quinn said after what felt like hours, still looking into his eyes. They were fascinating, really; a deep blue, so dark they created the illusion of blue across his irises and pupils. Also fascinating was that she couldn't read anything in them: his eyes were totally blank.

But it was because she was looking so intently at his eyes that Quinn saw the minuscule changes in his expression: the slight crease in his forehead; the subtle upturn of his eyebrows; the tightening of his eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Murphy," he replied, and turned back to the twins. Quinn looked away as well, feeling a little disorientated, as if she'd had one drinks too many and had found herself outside. She glanced at Ellen, who looked back at her with a question in her eyes: What had just happened?

_Well, Ellen,_ Quinn thought, _that's a damn good question._

* * *

**Hooray, Artemis is back! What has it been, two chapters? Well, even though we saw hardly anything of him, I hope you liked it. :)**

**So sorry this took longer than two weeks! Which brings me to a change of schedule: I will only be able to update once a month. So, on the last day of every month (this one included) I will put up another chapter!**

**I have a question for you guys: How many chapters would you like in this story? You can have either 40 including random chapters with no importance to the story, all the way to 31 chapters which is getting rid of all those superfluous chapters. You can either let me know in a review or vote on the poll on my home page. :) (This poll will be up until January so take your time!)**

**Thank you so much for giving this story your wonderful support! I appreciate every single one of you. *hearts***


	5. Chapter 5, Dreams and Worms

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. I do not own Ellen. I do, however, most definitely own Quinn and Anna, so paws off.**

**Thank you to SupperFanGirl, KayDee-DesignerExtraordinaire, and ksks for your reviews on the last chapter!**

**Also, you may have noticed I deleted the 'prologue'. I decided it wasn't related to the story at all and was actually kinda rubbish. Just to let you know. :)**

* * *

For as long as she could, Quinn kept herself distracted. It wasn't hard, despite Artemis' presence; the twins were quite a handful even with three pairs of eyes on them: When Beckett almost pulled one of the white sheets off a sofa, Myles decided to go for a run and dragged bright purple paint across the floor; when Myles dipped Professor Primate's tail in the white paint and then began to cry, Beckett managed to get into the kitchen, spill saucepans all over the floor, and find the biscuit cabinet.

So now, Myles sat on the kitchen counter with tear-stained cheeks, Ellen was washing Professor Primate's tail, Quinn was holding a crying Beckett, and Artemis had gone to find a maid to clean up the mess.

"So how's your first day coming?" Ellen asked.

Quinn grinned. "About the way I expected."

"Do you look after a lot of kids at home?"

"Yeah. They're five now but I sometimes help my best friend with her little brother."

Ellen hesitated. "Mrs Fowl told me you're an orphan... I'm sorry." Quinn suppressed a groan. She hated when people apologised; it wasn't their fault, and she'd never known her parents anyway.

"What's a orphan?" Myles asked.

"It means I don't have any parents."

Beckett stopped crying and looked horrified.

"But who feeds you?"

Quinn laughed, though she still felt a bit annoyed. "I have...pretend parents. Sorta how Ellen looks after you guys, but they're there all the time."

"Do you want to share our mum and dad?" Myles asked.

"Nah." Quinn ruffled his hair. "I love my present parents. Thanks though, sweetheart."

"Quinn, I need another biscuit."

"No." Ellen frowned at Beckett. "It was very naughty of you to come in here and take biscuits without asking in the first place."

"I'm sorry," Beckett said sadly.

"Then don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay."

"It's almost time for you nap, anyway."

"I don't need a nap," both boys protested immediately. Quinn rolled her eyes. No child wanted to sleep.

"Boys, you are having a nap whether you like it or not," Ellen said, looking hardly at the twins.

"Quinn, we don't need a nap," Myles said. "Please can we stay up?"

"No, Nap time means nap time."

Beckett began to kick in protest, and Myles threw into the sink, splashing water on Ellen.

"You two, stop this right now!" Ellen ordered, raising her voice. "If you carry on being naughty, you're going straight to bed and we won't go to the park tomorrow."

They stopped misbehaving, although Beckett began to cry again, which set Myles off.

Quinn's stomach squirmed. She hated seeing young children upset, even if they were being naughty. She bit her lip for a second, and then decided she couldn't just let them cry.

"Hey now, you two, there's no need for all these tears!" They ignored her so she went on, "You know, if you two don't have a nap, that means I can't have one either."

That got their attention.

"Why?" Myles asked, sniffling.

"Don't you know?" She grinned mysteriously, and then hoisted Beckett higher on her hip. "Naps are amazing things. While you're napping, you can dream about anything you want. I love naps because I can dream I'm famous."

"Really?" Myles and Beckett looked at her with wide eyes.

"Yep." Quinn nodded.

"I will dream I am a king!" Myles announced, going to stand up on the counter until Ellen sat him back down.

"I will be a race car driver," Beckett said, and then added come engine noises for good effect.

"I want to be a pilot." Myles stretched out his arms.

"You can't be a pilot if you're a king."

"Yes I can!"

"Myles is right," Quinn interjected hastily. "In your dreams, you can be a king and a pilot and a lion tamer and a knight all at the same time."

The twins started chattering excitedly about what they wanted to be as Ellen started drying Professor Primate's tail. She smiled at Quinn.

"You certainly know how to deal with kids," she commended.

Quinn half-shrugged, trying to look humble but unable to keep the proud smile off her face. It wasn't often that she got praise. "Well, it's either fantasy stories or bribing. Little kids are right, um, terrors."

Ellen laughed, and then handed the suited stuffed monkey back to Myles. "How about we go and play outside a bit?" she suggested.

"But I need a nap," Myles whined. Ellen shook her head in amazement while Quinn laughed.

"It's too early for a nap right now. But after lunch, okay?"

"I need to dig for worms," Beckett said.

Ellen nodded. "We can do that."

Quinn laughed internally. She supposed Ellen was only allowing the boys to play in the dirt because they were so mucky already from the paint.

"Quinn, could you help Anna clean up the mess?" Ellen asked. "There was an awful lot of it and she's the only one working today."

"Sure."

"And tell Master Fowl we're outside if you see him."

"Kay-kay."

She put down Beckett, told him to be a good boy, and then went back into the main room where a maid - Anna - was collecting the paints. "Hi, Do you want some help?" she asked.

Anna looked up. She was an old woman, maybe in her late fifties, with a large nose, a few too many wrinkles, brown eyes, and greying hair.

"Thank you, love."

As the two picked up the paintbrushes and paint pots, folded up the sheets, and collected all the pieces of paper to sort out later, they talked. In half an hour, Quinn knew at least ten times more about Anna than she did Artemis; and when she realised this, she again wondered why in the hell she had decided to come here.

Quinn helped Anna put the plastic sheets away in a random cupboard, and then the two went their separate ways: Anna to take everything else upstairs; Quinn to rejoin Ellen and the twins outside.

"Miss Murphy," came a voice suddenly to her left. Quinn jumped, and put a hand to her chest as if that would slow her heart rate any quicker. She looked and saw Artemis himself standing in the doorway to the drawing room.

"Christ, Artemis, you -" She froze, realising what was coming out of her mouth. She coughed loudly, tried to look like her heart wasn't racing furiously, and quickly started talking again. "I mean, Master Fowl, you surprised me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. Quinn's face burned violently. She mentally cursed having red hair; it was always so obvious when she blushed, even though her face was covered in freckles.

"D-do you want me for something?"

"Yes, in fact, I do."

Quinn's mind instantly conjured a compromising image of the two of them, and she was glad she was already blushing.

Then Artemis was right in front of her. He looked down from his three-inch height advantage with hard eyes and a set face. Quinn's first instinct was to run away, feeling extraordinarily like small prey. But then she decided that she wouldn't be intimidated, and stood a little taller and kept eye contact.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. His tone was strict, and strangely threatening.

"I needed a summer job," Quinn replied. She tried to keep her tone innocent because, after all, that wasn't a complete lie. "I didn't want to work in retail and the Cuddihys are away this month, so I figured that I would try somewhere where I would already know at least one person."

Artemis' eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "You don't know me."

"But you were nice and helpful to me when we met."

He didn't say anything to that. Quinn could feel the tension build until finally she was ready to snap, and, to be honest, a little fed up with Artemis' suspicion.

"Look," she said, rolling her eyes and stepping away, "I just want a job so I could have at least a tiny bit of a university fund and I came here for convenience. I'm not stalking you, I'm not here to hurt anyone, I'm not here to cause trouble. You can believe me or not, I don't care. Now, if you'll excuse me, Master Fowl, I have to go and help your brother dig for worms."

And with that, she turned around and walked into the kitchen, congratulating herself on not letting Artemis win the battle and her final comments, even if they were mostly untrue. And sure, her hands were still a bit clammy and shaky, but her voice had stayed steady.

Until she realised that she had ruined her chance and there was no way she would be able to reach out to him now. She groaned and seriously considered hitting her head against a counter.

"Quinn, you fecking idiot," she chastised herself. She sighed, and then herself brighten up. "Well, there's always picking things up via knowledge osmosis!" She laughed, and it was only a little forced.

* * *

Lunch hadn't been as awkward as she'd thought it would be. As assistant nanny, she was allowed to attend the family meals to look after the twins. Honestly, though, there hadn't really been a family meal today; Mr and Mrs Fowl had gone to a business lunch-and-meeting and Artemis had only briefly shown up to affirm something with Ellen and grab his plate with a couple of sandwiches on it.

Putting the twins down for their nap afterwards also hadn't been as hard as she'd expected. It had only taken a little reminding about the possibilities of being a king/pilot/lion tamer/knight for them to settle down and fall asleep.

Quinn took this opportunity to start unpacking the rest of her stuff. She supposed, since she would be here more than the orphanage over the next nine weeks, she may as well end up leaving most of her stuff here.

But before that, she should probably clean herself up a bit, she decided, looking in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was coming loose and her hands and face were covered in paint and dirt. (Beckett had rubbed soil on her face after she stopped him from eating a worm.)

Humming to herself, she washed and tidied herself up, and then started putting away her clothes.

She was just handing up the last of her jackets when she heard one of the twins crying from their bedroom.

Quinn hesitated. Should she go and see what was wrong? Or should she leave it to Ellen?

When the wail strengthened and rose an octave, she decided rules be damned; she was not going to stand idly by and listen to a three-year-old cry like that.

She hung up her last jacket, and then went into Myles and Beckett's room. Myles was sitting up looking cross in his bed. Beckett was lying down as he cried. Quinn sat down on the edge of the latter's bed, leaned over him, and stroked his arm soothingly as she spoke in her gentlest tone.

"Hey, sweetheart. What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Beckett nodded, but fat tears continued to squeeze through his eyelids and roll down his cheeks. Quinn carefully picked him up and held him close, rubbing circles on his back and cooing at him.

"It wasn't real, sweetheart, there's no need to cry. Do you know that?"

She felt Beckett nod again.

"Good. Hush, Beckett, it's okay. It's over now."

Ellen appeared in the doorway.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "Poor Beckett just had a nightmare."

Ellen smiled at her. "Thank you for getting him."

"Hey, it's my job too, don't forget."

The older woman chuckled and then took Myles to the playroom, leaving Quinn to calm down Beckett, whose cries gradually got quieter and less frequent as Quinn rocked and assured him. Finally, when his noises stopped and he started to wriggle, Quinn let him go.

"I need the toilet," he said. Quinn laughed.

"Alright. Come on then, sweetheart. Let's go get Ellen."

* * *

**Wow! Can you believe I actually updated when I said I would? (Well, here in the UK it's technically the first of September, but my sleeping is aaaaall over the place since it's the holiday so close enough. :P)**

**I was pleasantly surprised so many of you have read Pillars of Earth! (Like, half of my reviewers for that chapters... ;) ) Seriously though, it's an excellent read. Don't let the size put you off!**

**It amuses me how much of my brother's characteristics I'm putting into Myles and Beckett. I'm working under the assumption _all three-year-olds have the same general attitudes_, haha.**

**Anyway, don't forget about my poll! I've actually figured out how to put it on my profile now. And if you can't be bothered, just put a number in a a review: Your votes will decide how many chapters, between 31 and 40, this story will have. Tip: 40 will mean random chapters that have no relation at all to the story.**

**Leave me a lovely review to cheer me up as I head back to school, please~! I love you guys and thanks so much for reading! :D**


	6. Chapter 6, Artemis

**Disclaimer: I own exactly one of the characters in this chapter. Unfortunately, it's not Artemis, Holly, Foaly, Ellen (Mrs Builder) or the twins.**

* * *

The sun had set several hours ago, though the curtains of the study hadn't been opened for two days so Artemis had no way of knowing dawn was just a couple of hours away. Not that he would have noticed anyway; he was far too focused on his computer screen. For the moment, he was reading through that girl's records again.

Quinn Mary Murphy.

Who was she really? First at his school and now his home - her appearances couldn't be just coincidence. After all, Artemis didn't believe in coincidence.

He leant back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together in thought. The way the computer screen illuminated his face - half washed-out white, half decayed grey - made him look like a criminal mastermind whose latest scheme was coming together nicely.

With a single finger, he scrolled down her school records again, though of course he knew it from memory by now. Since Butler had called him at school three weeks ago, he'd been digging up all he could on Miss Murphy. He had even hacked into Foaly's computer, though the centaur didn't have much more than the humans. But no matter how much information he'd had, he would never have been prepared for how feisty she'd be. Both at Saint Bartleby's and hours previously, she'd refused to be intimidated by him. The thought almost made Artemis smile; he had made bigger and stronger men cower when he was merely eleven.

Yes, she was certainly admirable. But he did not and would not trust her. He had verified that she knew the Cuddihys, that all of her motives checked out, but one didn't survive by trusting any old person who came along, especially a commoner with too-innocent records. And besides, Artemis did not like the Cuddihys. Randolph was a thick-skulled pig and his sister an air-headed little rich girl. He only tolerated them because Mrs Cuddihy was the heiress for an international lager company.

At least Miss Murphy didn't seem to pose an immediate threat to his brothers or his finances. In the two days she'd been here, she'd only left her room to help with his brothers or to eat. (He'd refocused one of the internal security cameras to point at her bedroom door.) However, since Section 8 had taken back all their working bugs, he had no way of knowing what was going on inside her room. He thought he might be able to persuade Holly to bring him some - as part of Section 8, she could get an aboveground permit whenever she wanted - but he doubted she would without actual grounds for suspicion and the fairy was far too trusting.

Artemis' communicator ring started to vibrate, and Artemis smiled. _Speak of the devil._ He turned the ring around so the circle was resting against his palm, made a fist, extended his thumb and little finger, and put his hand against his head like his brothers did when they played Telephone.

"Good evening, Holly," he said smoothly, make sure to control his tone so she wouldn't be able to tell he was smiling.

"Isn't four searches a bit unnecessary?"

Artemis sighed. "Always straight to the point. Where's my 'hello'?"

"Hello. Have you been feeling very suspicious lately?"

"Nothing is too 'suspicious' if it means my brothers' safety. Besides, Miss Murphy is suspect enough without my help. She may have my parents fooled, but I am far too clever for that."

Holly made a noise that sounded like she was trying not to laugh. "Is it really that wrong for her to want to see a friendly face?"

Artemis scowled for a moment, and then he caught himself. He was letting his mind slip - lately, he'd been acting more like a teenager and less like the genius he really was.

"Believe me, Holly, I am not a friendly face."

"I believe you, Artemis."

He was fairly sure she was making fun of him again, though almost everything that came out of Holly's mouth was dripping with sarcasm and mockery so she probably was.

"Why don't you get to know her?" Holly continued. "You're not going to find anything in records or online if they're not in Foaly's database."

Artemis made a noise that was almost contemptuous. "I don't think so, Holly."

"Then what do you plan on doing?"

He thought for half a second. "I will tell Mrs Builder to keep on eye on her and tell me the moment she doesn't something out of the ordinary."

"Isn't it a bit much, turning colleagues against each other?" Holly asked warily.

"I've already said: for the benefit of my brothers, nothing is too much."

With that, he hung up, mentally congratulating himself on his dramatic closing lines. They were completely true, of course, and Holly knew it, but that didn't mean they weren't impressive.

* * *

**First chapter I've written well in advance!**

**Sadly, I couldn't come up with any more than this. I hope you liked this little insight into Arty's head, though. :)**

**Don't forget, I have a poll on my profile asking how many chapters you want, anywhere from 31 to 40! (Please bear in mind that 40 means random chapters with nothing to do with the story, and also more chapters which are suddenly a lot shorter.)**

**If I have the time, I'll try and write two chapters next month to accommodate for not writing any in November (due to NaNoWriMo).**

**See you on Halloween, folks! :D**

**PS, I'm gonna plug a story here: Unusual Circumstances by pearlgirl97. I'm beta reading it for her and believe me, it is getting _good_!**

**PPS, I'm sorry about the double update. PLEASE FORGIVE ME.**


	7. Chapter 7, An Argument

**I AM SO SO SORRY I'M FIVE DAYS LATE UPDATING. I won't bore you with my stream of (valid) excuses, but basically they stem down to 'I need to make sure I get into university'. It's not fun. :| Remember, I'm not updating at the end of this month. I'll try and update twice in December or January.**

**Thank you so much **Void-san**, **Olympian-Goddess**, **..**, and** pearlgirl97** for your reviews on the last chapter. :) Your feedback is much appreciated!**

**Anyway, you've waited long enough so... Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl; that delight belongs to the hilarious Eoin Colfer.**

* * *

Time always seemed to do the exact opposite of what you wanted it to. For what seemed the hundredth time in the last forty minutes alone, Quinn looked at her watch and saw it wasn't even one o' clock. It was another half an hour before lunch and another seven hours after that before the twins went to bed, which was also when she would be able to leave.

Frustrated, Quinn put down her glass just a little too hard and liquid spilled over the sides.

"Feck!" she yelped, before remembering there were two young'uns in the room. Luckily, they hadn't seemed to hear her. She looked around for a cloth of some kind; but of course, the Fowls were too rich to let scraps of material lie around. So she took off her top shirt and bunched it up to collect the juice before it got on the carpet or furniture.

"Ellen?"

"Yes, Quinn?"

"Where are the towels kept?"

"Hm?" Ellen looked up, saw the mess, and looked shocked. "Quinn! What did you do?"

"Quinn spilled her drink!" the twins laughed in unison.

"Yes, yes, I can see that." She sighed. "Well, Luke will be here by now so just ask him for some kitchen towels."

"Okay. Um..." Quinn picked up her shirt. There was a large red stain on the right-hand side. Ellen sighed again.

"Leave that here for now. You can take it upstairs with you when you go and get changed."

Quinn nodded sheepishly, dropped her shirt, and then headed to the kitchen. Hopefully, Luke really was there already, otherwise she'd have to dig around Indiana-Jones style for the kitchen roll.

Quinn had hoped to go the entire summer without goofing up - and only on her sixth day. It was bad enough around her judgemental friends, but around judgemental rich folks? No thank you. The only for her embarrassment to get any worse would be-

"Miss Murphy, what _are_ you wearing?"

-the judgemental Artemis Fowl the Second to see her in a bit-too-tight light purple tank top. (In fairness, her boobs had grown since she'd bought the top. But that was what the over-shirt was for.)

Quinn turned to Artemis, laughed lightly, and subtly revealed a bit more cleavage in the hopes that he wouldn't be able to get too annoyed with her because he'd be too busy trying not to be distracted by her chest.

"Yes, it's nice, isn't it? I do have another shirt but I got juice on it so I'm off to the kitchen to get to some towels to clean up the mess and then upstairs to change. Catch you later!"

Laughing some more, she waved and almost ran the rest of the way to the kitchen, where Luke was cutting up some vegetables.

"Good afternoon, love!" He waved his knife at her and then went back to chopping. "What can I do for ya?"

"Yeah, do you have any kitchen roll?"

"It's over by there." Luke waved his knife again and then pouted. "How comes y'never come in here to just say hi?"

"Give it time. I've only been here a week," Quinn replied. How many sheets should she get? Two would probably be plenty. Rich folks could afford the best absorption. "Oh, don't cry. Next time, I'll just come for a chat, okay?"

"It's just the onions, love," Luke laughed.

"Oh. Well, see you later, then!"

"_Ciao_!"

Quinn rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself as she left the kitchen. But then she almost walked right into Artemis and her face immediately fell, although she did quickly force it back up. Still, Artemis hadn't missed her expression change, if his smug little grin was anything to judge.

"You ought not to be rude to your employer, Miss Murphy."

"_Terribly_ sorry, Master Fowl."

Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Um." Quinn mentally smacked her forehead. Who says _um_ to a snobby rich kid? "If you'll excuse, please, kindly, sir...?"

Artemis raised the other eyebrow. Quinn felt heat flood her face.

"Miss Murphy, I hope you're not transferring your insolence to my brothers."

Quinn's face grew hotter, though now it was because she was angry.

"What are you trying to say?"

"They must grow up to be gentlemen, not vagabonds."

"_What_?" Quinn shrieked, outraged. She gripped the kitchen roll, straightened her back, and glared into Artemis' eyes. "Look, _Artemis Fowl the Second_, just because I don't act like a _pretty fecking princess_ that doesn't mean I'm just some _street rat_ who doesn't know proper _etiquette_! Perhaps you should be more worried about _your prejudices_ than _my_ so-called _insolence_. You get me?"

Artemis' muscles stiffened as he returned her glare, though his was ten times more frightening than hers would ever be. Quinn almost backed down - she was suddenly really quite nervous. Would he try anything with her? He would probably be a lot stronger than her, not to mention he could probably afford to pay off anyone who tried to put him in jail.

"Miss Murphy, I think you're quite mistaken," he said. "I am not prejudiced, as you so _eloquently_ put it. Merely, I can tell the difference between a refined commoner and a good-for-nothing plebeian."

"You mean like how you can tell the difference between a fashionable haircut and whatever the feck it is you have on top of your head?"

"My hair is certainly more stylish than your nest."

"Only in an alternate universe where vogue is backwards!"

"What's going on out- Quinn!" Luke exclaimed, running out the kitchen to pull Quinn and Artemis apart. The animosity between them was almost tangible. "Quinn, don't you have a mess to clean up?"

Artemis smirked. "Yes, it's never too late to turn your life around, is it?"

Quinn tensed, but Luke grabbed her before she could lunge. Artemis gave her one last smug look, and then sharply turned on his heel and walked away.

"What was that for, Luke?" Quinn cried. She struggled violently to escape Luke's arms, until suddenly he let her go with a yelp and she dropped to the floor.

"Can ya be a bit more careful?" he asked, smiling weakly and rubbing his chest. "I'm not wearing a binder today."

"Ah... Sorry, Luke."

"S'okay, love." He patted her on the head and then helped her up. "Just try not t'get int'any more fights with Master Artemis, yeah? I don't want my favourite assistant nanny to get the sack."

Quinn grimaced. "But..."

"No buts." Luke put a hand on Quinn's shoulder and bent down to her level. "If y'get fired, Master Artemis can make it hard for ya t'get a job later."

They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Quinn sighed and looked down.

"Alright." She sighed again, though heavier this time to relieve some of the tension in her chest. "I guess it's a good thing Patty's treating me tonight, huh?"

Luke laughed and tousled her hair. "Thatta girl! Now, you got spillage t'clean and I got fish t'gut!"

* * *

Quinn hadn't gone out properly in ages - it had been at least a month before the exams. She could have snuck out if she wanted to but honestly, her future was more important than getting illegally drunk with a bunch of losers at a nightclub. Not that she told them that.

Either way, Patty was in Dublin. She was still mad at Quinn for not telling her the truth (god forbid any of her friends find out she willingly became a nanny) but her need to get away from her 'loony' family was stronger than her anger, so she'd invited Quinn out to hit the town. Luckily for Quinn, Mr and Mrs Fowl didn't mind her leaving early for the day as long as it was a one-time thing, and Ellen lived in Dublin and was willing to give her a ride. Not-so-luckily for Quinn, Butler would be picking her up at eleven whether she was ready to go or not, and he still scared the bejeesus out of her.

(Truthfully, Quinn quite liked Patty's Family. It had a much better atmosphere than hanging out with the Cuddihys, as much as Quinn loved them, and although it was sizable, it didn't have the same chaos the orphanage did. They were eccentric at best.)

The ride to Dublin had been fun, though a little awkward at first. Quinn and Ellen hadn't had much opportunity to talk without the twins around and even then, the two boys (and the rest of the Fowl family, to an extent) were what they mostly talked about. Quinn was happy when the atmosphere mellowed and they started talking about something else, even if it was school.

She was absolutely determined to enjoy herself tonight. Her argument with Artemis earlier had ruined the rest of the afternoon. But she had a wad of cash, a fake ID, and a gorgeous new top that deserved a smashing maiden journey, and there was no way she would let that rich bastard sour her night out. She already wasn't allowed to get more than vaguely tipsy.

Now, she was standing outside a club, freezing her arse off because her oh, so punctual friend wasn't there yet. She was halfway through a pissed-off text when Patty fortunately showed, looking a bit fed up herself.

"Jaysus, you took your time."

"Sorry. Fecking Kyle wouldn't tell me where he'd hid my purse." (Kyle was Patty's older brother. He was cute, a bit dim, and apparently held the Worst Sibling Ever award.)

"Well, whatever. You're here now so are we gonna go in or what?"

"Hell yeah - let's go get boozed up!" Patty laughed and Quinn joined in, but she felt her stomach sink. _Brilliant._ Patty wanted to get pissed. Now Quinn would have to concentrate to make sure she didn't too.

* * *

Bodies merged in the middle of the dance floor; hair and arms were everywhere; just underneath the smell of alcohol was the distinct stench of sweat from having a good time.

From the looks of things from Quinn and Patty's small table, modesty seemed to have taken the evening off. There would almost undoubtedly be people having sex in the toilets.

"Why did you pick this club?" Quinn shouted.

"What did you say?"

"What?"

Patty cupped a hand around her ear. Quinn leaned in and repeated, "WHY DID YOU PICK THIS CLUB?"

"WORD-OF-MOUTH SAYS THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTCLUBS IN DUBLIN."

Quinn looked around. Yeah, this place did look very nice, but she was willing to bet it wasn't just a glowing review that was being passed around by mouth.

"THE BARKEEPS ALSO DON'T LOOK TOO CLOSELY AT ID."

Ah, so that was the real reason. This was the sort of sex-fuelled place Levi would pick more than Patty.

"I'M GONNA GET ANOTHER DRINK," Patty said, indicating her empty glass. "WANT ONE?"

"I'M GOOD."

"SUIT YOURSELF."

Patty left her glass and pushed her way through the crowd. Quinn sighed and stirred her rum and coke with her finger. Patty was still being a bit bitchy and she refused to dance until Quinn told her what she was doing in Dublin since it wasn't a boyfriend.

"SO ARE YOU GONNA TELL OR WHAT?" Patty sat back down, set her drink on the table, and stared at Quinn.

"NO."

"YOU OWE ME."

Quinn took a gulp of her drink, nodded, and beckoned Patty closer. No way was she shouting all night.

"I've got a job near here."

"A job? Why?"

"'Cause I need money, duh."

"Why'd you keep it a secret?"

"The others don't know I have rich friends. I'm a nanny for some kids."

Patty started laughing, so much so that she bent over in her chair. Quinn sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, pouting.

"See, this is exactly why I didn't tell you."

"You? A _nanny_? Those poor buggers!"

"Whatever." Quinn swallowed the rest of her drink and slammed it down on the table. "I'm gonna dance. Are you coming or what?"

"Hold on, hold on. I'm sorry, alright?" Quinn didn't answer. "At least wait for me to finish this one, then we can dance together."

Quinn shrugged and looked away, still annoyed.

* * *

How long had they been dancing? Quinn had no idea. It had just been three drinks worth of moving to bad hip hop and dubstep. Three of her drinks, that is - Patty had had at least five.

Panting and with sweat covering her entire body, Quinn pushed her way to the edge of the crowd and fell into an empty seat with a brand new drink, though this one wasn't alcoholic. Patty followed her, giggling uncontrollably.

"Why have you stopped?" Patty shouted over the music. "I could dance for ages yet!"

"Then go dance! I just need a bit of a breather, is all."

"But Quinnnnn! I don't wanna dance on my owwwwwn!"

"I have to look after three-year-olds tomorrow; I can't wake up absolutely sore."

Patty sighed dramatically. At least, Quinn assumed it was dramatic; it was the sort of thing Patty did when she was drunk.

"Fine, then," she said, and then quickly disappeared into the mass of bodies again. Quinn shook her head and took a deep drink, and then watched the people, content to sit for a while.

Suddenly, a hand fell on her shoulder. Quinn looked up to see a sweaty, muscular man, easily six foot tall, standing next to her with a cocky grin on his face. He leant down and said into her ear, "Wanna dance, sweet cheeks?"

"No thanks."

He moved closer. "Aw, come on. You won't regret it."

"No means no."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm really not. Get out my way." She stood up with her drink and started to move past him, but he stepped so his body was pressed right up against hers. _Sod the drink,_ Quinn thought, and threw it in his face.

"You bitch!"

The man grabbed her but, before she even had a chance to scream, a massive paw of a hand landed on the his shoulder and pulled him off.

"Hey, what-"

The man fell silent, and it wasn't hard to see why. While the guy towered over Quinn, Butler was even taller, twice as muscular, and a face that promised agonising pain if you disobeyed him.

"Leave," Butler said. And the man was gone.

Which, unfortunately, left Quinn in the spotlight.

Butler looked at her. He didn't say anything or change his expression, but Quinn definitely got the feeling that he was disappointed in her.

"We're going."

Quinn nodded and followed him wordlessly. As they walked out of the club, the crowd seemed to part around Butler like opposing poles, and the closest would often stop dancing or talking to stare. Quinn kept her eyes on the floor, strangely ashamed and not even a little bit tipsy any more.

There was a black, but otherwise nondescript, car just outside the club. Butler opened a back door for Quinn (that was probably a habit from his bodyguard training) and waited until she'd buckled herself in to start the car.

The silence was unbearable. Quinn remembered her argument with Artemis earlier and tears pricked at her eyes. Could he be right? Was she really an insolent, good-for-nothing plebeian? Was it too late to turn her life around?

She felt her phone vibrate in her bag and roughly wiped her eyes before she looked. It was a text from Patty. She sent a quick text back and then stared out the window, trying to pretend that bastard and his hurtful, maybe even true words didn't exist.

"B-Butler?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know where I was?"

"I tracked your phone signal."

"Oh."

Silence fell again, and again Artemis' words echoes in Quinn's head. _"I can tell the difference between a refined commoner and a good-for-nothing plebeian."_ Butler probably thought that too. He looked middle-aged so he'd probably been with the Fowls for decades; he'd lived with the rich for decades. He was probably as disgusted by her as Artemis seemed to be.

"Butler?" Quinn said again, though this time much quieter and more vulnerable.

"Yes?"

"Are you disappointed I was at that club?"

"Yes."

"D-do you think I'm good-for-nothing?"

"No."

Quinn blinked, surprised, and a couple of tears fell free. She looked up and met Butler's eyes for a moment in the mirror.

"You and your friend shouldn't go to such an awful place. Not only are you underage, but they can be dangerous. It was a mistake. However, I don't think you're a bad person."

A wide smile spread involuntarily across Quinn's face. She wanted to ask, "Do you really think so?", but Butler had broken eye contact, and Butler seemed like a sincere person anyway. Laughter, equally relieved and happy, bubbled up and broke free.

"Thank you, Butler," she said once she'd finally calmed down. He nodded, but didn't make a sound. Her chest felt much lighter now. She smiled out the window, watching night time Dublin as it passed.

And then suddenly, she was being held in Butler's arms as he carried her effortlessly to her room.

"I fell asleep," Quinn said hazily, and then realised how much like an idiot she sounded. _Well done, Captain Obvious._

Butler put her down and she realised they were outside the twins' room. She decided to peek inside to see if they were okay, and to her surprise, they were gone.

"Um, they're not in there."

"They must have gone to Master Artemis' room then."

"They do that?"

"If they wake up in the night, yes, usually."

"Should we go and get them?"

"_I_ will. You should just go to bed."

"No, it's fine, I'll help. I am the assistant nanny after all." Of course, as much as she hated Artemis right now, she couldn't just forget about her ulterior motive for this job and pass up the opportunity to see Artemis' bedroom.

Butler waited for her to take off her shoes and jacket and dump her bag, and then led her to a wing which she hadn't yet had the chance to explore. Artemis' room was quite close to the edge of the wing, with the door open.

When Quinn first stepped into his room, she was...underwhelmed, quite honestly. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it was definitely something more excited than a standard (albeit expensive) bed-wardrobe-chest-desk, a couple of full bookshelves, and computers in varying degrees of disassemblement and gutting.

Butler didn't stop to look around, heading straight for the bed. Quinn followed him and saw not only Myles and Beckett sleeping peacefully, but Artemis, too. He had an arm over his brothers and was curled almost protectively around them. Quinn smiled softly as she admired Artemis' sleeping expression. Unlike when he was awake, there were no creases in his brow and his face wasn't stony or blank; rather, his forehead was smooth and betrayed no signs of stress, and his mouth was slightly open. Quinn found it quite adorable, until she remembered that Artemis was a prick and she hated him.

Butler picked up the twins and gave Myles to Quinn, him being lighter, and closed the door behind him to let Artemis sleep. When they placed the twins gently into their own beds, they barely stirred. And too tired to put her pyjamas on, Quinn just stripped, slipped into bed in just her underwear, and was sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

**Can you tell I've never been to a nightclub? Eheheh... Um, yeah. Just go along with it. It's a plot device, not a real place. ¬¬**

**Also, I hope you enjoyed the argument! It was fun to write Artemis getting riled up. By the help, no less! And that little moment of Quinn and Butler bonding in the car - personally, you know, as the writer, that is one of my favourite scenes in the story so far. I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff! ;D**

**I've been quite involved in the LGBT community recently, which is how Luke is a transmale. (Honestly, it didn't even occur to make him _not_ a transmale. How's that for rewiring brains for ya! :D (Give me a break, I'm proud of myself.)) How he and Quinn met will come up later in the story, as well as how he told her, so you've got that hilarity to look forward to.**

**There were a few one-liners, phrases, etc that are from the manga Ouran High School Host Club. I'm seriously obsessed with it right now. I didn't actually notice them until my reread. (This is a shameless plug. READ IT. If you don't have much spare time, watch the **_**subbed**_** version of the anime - there are lots of places to watch it online.) Also, throughout writing Butler's entrance, all I could see in my head was a character from OHSHC doing it. (You'll know which one I mean. Seriously.)**

**Again, so sorry for the massive delay! I really do feel terrible! (And sorry for the massive author's note.) ****And don't forget to take my poll for how many chapters you want. At the moment it's at a three-way tie which is annoying because I can't decide.**

**See you next time, folks! :D**


	8. Chapter 8, Frustration

**So, uh... yeah. Hi. Long time no see. ... I have no excuses. I mean, there's been school and exams and shit but this chapter is over two weeks late. I am _deeply_ sorry and it most likely won't happen again. And don't worry, there will most definitely be a chapter at the end of this month too, as well as a double-chapter update in a couple of months' time when my schedule has died down a bit.**

**I hope you like this chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own Quinn. That's about it.**

* * *

Since the private schools had broken up for summer, the Cuddihys had been on holiday. They were currently in Spain, and next week would start their fortnight cruising around the Caribbean. In other words, there was no way Quinn would be able to contact Naomi to ask for boy advice.

Not that she'd be able to talk to Naomi about Artemis anyway. As eager as the other girl had been to meet this blue-eyed hottie at Saint Bartleby's Parents' Day, Quinn had since discovered that Naomi was not very fond of Artemis Fowl the Second. It was easy enough to see why - he was stuck up, cold and incredibly frustrating.

But if there was one word to describe Quinn, it was tenacious. She had embarrassed herself and almost peed herself from nervousness getting the 'assistant live-in nanny' job; there was no way she was going to give up now.

However, there was still the problem of getting Artemis to open up. If she hadn't seen him with his brothers, she would have assumed he was just an arrogant pig; but she _had_ seen him - was surprised at his tenderness - so there was definitely another side to him. It was this peculiarly gentle side that Quinn wanted to know more about, and she wasn't going to stop until she did. (_Clearly, I have issues,_ she snorted to herself.)

How did one be so pervasive, anyway? In films and books, the two were always thrown together and forced to deal with each other until they were under each others' skin.

Well, it was either annoy the hell out of him or orchestrate a kidnapping, and one was infinitely more fun and affordable than the other.

_Brace yourself, Artemis Fowl,_ Quinn thought wickedly, grinning up at her ceiling. _Come Tuesday, you won't know what's hit you._

In the two weeks Quinn had worked at Fowl Manor, she had quickly learnt to ignore Myles when he screamed before nap times. The young boy was incredibly intelligent, yes, and he hadn't used a nappy in about a year, but he was still three years old and a three-year-old without a nap was later grumpy and naughty.

"I want my checimal set!" Myles shrieked at the top of his voice. Quinn tried not to flinch at the high pitch (flinching was a sign of weakness, you know), finished packing up Myles' My First Chemistry Set, and put it on top of the wardrobe so he wouldn't be able to reach it.

"You can have it back after your nap," she said firmly.

"But I want my benotite!"

"Betonite, you mean." Quinn dropped into a crouch and grasped Myles' shoulders. "Myles, looks at me. No, stop screaming and look at me." Very reluctantly, the boy did so. "Good. Now, Your chemicals are not going anywhere. I promise that they will stay exactly where I put them until you've slept, and then I will get them down for you. Okay?"

Myles looked up mournfully at the wardrobe, and then nodded.

"Good boy."

Quinn smiled gently at him as she wiped his eyes. Of his own volition, he lay down on his bed and looked at Quinn expectantly until she had taken off his shoes and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well, kiddo."

Ellen, meanwhile, had had an even harder time trying to put Beckett down. He'd refused to stop moving, even after he'd been caught, and then several times he jumped straight out of bed. In the end, Ellen had been forced to bribe him with the promise of chocolate and ice cream after his nap.

"You look tired," Quinn commented as the two women made their way to the kitchen, to get some much-needed tea.

"I've been feeling a bit worn out lately," Ellen admitted. "My daughter and husband have had the flu so I've had to look after them this past week."

"Are _you_ okay?"

Ellen smiled haggardly. "I'm fine, love, don't you worry."

The second they stepped into the kitchen, Luke was all over them. Quinn rolled her eyes at how much he was fussing, but Ellen gladly let herself be swept away to a stool while a hot cup of green tea was pressed into her hands.

"I have a whole kettleful brewed," Luke told them. "We could hear the young master screaming from here so I thought green tea would be just the thing. Did you know..."

Quinn sipped contentedly at her own mug, letting Luke's voice as he enthused about the benefits of green tea wash over her. Honestly, she hadn't known what to expect of the staff when first starting here. Perhaps some snobbery to contempt - she had probably got the job a lot easier than all of them, and she had no money at all to her name. There were certainly a few of the staff like this - a couple of maids, the head gardener - but the majority were astonishingly accepting of the sixteen-year-old.

"Thanks for the tea, Luke," said Quinn gratefully as she set her now-empty mug next to the sink.

"You're not gonna stay longer, darlin'?"

"Sorry - I promised a friend I'd call her today." _Liar._

"I'll come and get you when the boys wake up," offered Ellen. Quinn nodded, smiled, and left.

But not to call a friend.

She had been here for two weeks and she still had no idea if Artemis was even in the house most days, let alone what he did. It was time for an Artemis hunt.

Quinn glanced at the grandfather clock in the hall as she passed - it was just past one, so she probably had about an hour and half of searching left.

The most obvious place to start would be his bedroom. She knew plenty of teenagers (was one of them, in fact) who either went out all the time with friends or locked themselves in their rooms. Quinn wondered what kind of friends Artemis had.

He wasn't in his bedroom. Quinn felt a bit let down; she'd spent at least five precious minutes just outside the closed door thinking of a cover story (she'd given up, in the end), and he didn't even have the decency to be on the other side?

She almost - _almost_ - went in anyway. There were still several computers covering the available spaces, this time even more pulled apart, and it was so tempting to move a couple of parts around so he'd think he'd misplaced them. It had taken all her willpower to close the door again - she had to remind herself out loud that she was trying to get close to Artemis, not alienate herself even further (because let's be honest, he'd know it was her).

So where else could he be hiding? Assuming he was at home, anyway. As she concentrated, she let her feet just move.

Which was how she ended up in the east wing to hear a loud crash, which was followed by a brief shocked silence, and then what was definitely Myles' distinctive wail.

But when she burst into the twins' room moments later, heart thudding in her ears, to see Myles out of bed with broken chemistry equipment and a dented box around his feet, Quinn felt her fear turn to rage. She'd thought something _terrible_ had happened - but no, Myles had just misbehaved.

(And she would never admit it, but as she quickly took in the elaborate pulley contraption it took to knock the chemistry set to the floor, she was very impressed.)

"Sorr-ry," Myles cried, now obviously afraid that Quinn would be angry with him. She sighed and picked up him, so he wouldn't accidentally step on anything.

"Shh," she murmured, rubbing circles on his back. "I'm not going to shout at you, it's okay. But do you see what happens when you're naughty?"

"I - won't - do - it - a-gain."

"It's all right, sweetie."

While Myles calmed down, Beckett played with a couple of toy horses, glancing over every few seconds. Eventually, the bigger twin stopped crying. Quinn somewhat tidied the mess. She asked one of the maids if she could clean it as the three soon went down to the kitchen to get Ellen.

The twins' actual bedtime was much less eventful. Both boys were tired from their lack of nap so they put up very little fight - which was very lucky because Quinn was on her own tonight, Ellen having gone home and Mr and Mrs Fowl gone to a business party or something.

"Sleep well, boys," Quinn muttered, smiling fondly at their beds as she turned the light all the way down.

The first things she did were yawn, stretch, and crack her spine back into place.

But then she shook off her lethargy: she needed to be at the top of her game is she was going to annoy Artemis successfully. She'd found out earlier that Artemis often spent the day in Mr Fowl's old study, though neither the twins nor Ellen knew what he got up to.

_I hope you're not doing anything important, Fowl,_ she thought gleefully, and then tried very hard not to skip down the corridor.

The C Cube had been decades - at the very least - ahead of its time. In hindsight, Artemis realised he had been far too arrogant and greedy; he had almost got himself and several people close to him killed, as well as lost a large profit. He had decided to build up slowly to the Cube, and now that there was no longer the threat of Opal Koboi, he had found time to work on his plans. Currently, he was combining human and fairy technology in an aesthetic casing, and he estimated the end result to contain only about a seventh of the original C Cube's power and capability.

When his door opened, Artemis didn't bother to try and hide the glowing fairy battery. It wasn't unusual to see him surrounded by unusual gadgets or objects, and any rush to hide anything would just draw attention to it and himself anyway.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Artemis gritted his teeth for a moment, and then relaxed his face so the damned girl wouldn't know what a rise she got out of him.

"Nothing that your mediocre-at-best brain could understand."

Quinn strutted into the room and let herself sit on his bed with a heavy _thump_.

"I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't know already but I did get a Higher Level B in my Junior Certificate."

Artemis rose an eyebrow.

"A B," he repeated monotonously. "How very extraordinary."

Quinn picked up a motherboard from his bed and tossed it indelicately into the air a few times, grinning as Artemis felt a vein pulse in his neck.

"You have obviously never seen a state school." She caught the motherboard again and then started to poke at it. "What are you doing in here, anyway? Trying to create your very own Stormbreaker? Or are you gonna go Big Brother on everyone?"

"The question is what are _you_ doing in here?" Artemis snapped, snatching the board out of the girl's hands before she could do any lasting damage. "Aside from your behaviour being extremely inappropriate from an employee, you have shown absolutely no inclination in being interested in anything involving me, and I certainly don't care about you."

Quinn leant forward, staring hard into Artemis' eyes, her own practically smouldering.

"You intrigue me, Artemis Fowl the Second."

Neither of them moved, and then Quinn blinked and laughed, the atmosphere lightened, and Artemis mentally scolded himself for thinking of her eyes as _smouldering_.

"I'm bored," she said honestly, falling back onto her hands and grinning at Artemis again.

"Only boring people get bored."

"But so do incredibly smart people. Holmes complains he's bored all the time but I never see anyone describe him as boring."

"_He_ is a fictional character."

"There are plenty of boring fictional characters."

Artemis tried very hard not to huff like a surly teenager. He was Artemis Fowl the Second, ex-criminal mastermind, literal genius, and he did not _huff_ when things didn't go his way.

"Go and amuse yourself somewhere else," he ordered. "I'm busy."

"But the way your cheek twitches is so interesting."

She grinned at him widely, seeming incredibly cheery despite their previous argument. He had hoped that, after that, she would leave him alone.

So he glared at her - it was the one he used to scare even the bravest of people (unless they happened to be too insane to notice). He was pleased to notice that Quinn's smile slipped slightly, and her eyebrows drew together so that she looked a little perturbed.

"Y-you know, since I'm obviously such an idiot, it would make you feel superior if you told me what you're doing."

Artemis had to admire her persistence.

"No."

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Quinn blinked and gave a little shrug.

"Fine. Then I guess I'll just chill here until you're nice to me again."

_Again?_ What was she talking about?

"Get out of my bedroom. Now."

She ignored him now, pushing herself up to lean against his headboards and pulling out her phone. She began to hum, though Artemis neither knew nor cared what.

He briefly considered dragging her out of the room himself, but she looked capable of handling herself and he had very little upper body strength. He settled for clenching his jaw and turning back around to his computer, reminding himself that two more months and he would never have to see her again.

* * *

**So... if anyone reading this goes "THAT'S WRONG" and points a finger at the whole 'Junior Certificate' thing, I am very very sorry. I'll admit I just looked on Wikipedia. However, if you do know better I'll be very happy to make any amendments to the chapter (even if I just used the wrong preposition). (Also, don't look too hard at the page - you might spot the continuity errors. *hides*)**

**Following Pixar's lead, I've given a hint to the plot of the next chapter in this one. ;) You're free to guess. And at least you only have a couple of weeks to wait for it. (Personally, I'm looking forward to the next chapter.)**


	9. Chapter 9, Sick

**BTW, I've never had the flu before. Rubbish colds, yes, but that's it. So I may just be making symptoms up here.**

**Also, sorry this is a day late. Family drama happened yesterday and I just wasn't in the mood to write the last half of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own copies of the books, but not the copyright. That's probably for the best.**

* * *

Two days after Ellen called in sick, Quinn woke up feeling like she'd been his by a steamroller. Her head pounded, her lungs felt far too small, her nose was a useless lump of flesh and cartilage attached to her face and she constantly fluctuated between too hot and too cold without a middle ground.

"Flu," the Fowls' private, top-of-the-field doctor announced, and then the twins were moved to Quinn's queen-size bed so Angelina Fowl could look after all of them at the same time.

When Beckett curled pathetically into Quinn's side, her skin burned. She always stayed still, though she wasn't sure whether it was because she was frozen in place or she didn't want to take away the three-year-old's comfort. To be honest, Quinn wasn't really sure of anything. Sometimes she saw things with vivid clarity, but the things she saw were little people with wings and green skin, and only occasionally did she see the bedroom; most of the time, though, she felt heavy and tired and achy, and words and images had to fight through a haze to reach her.

Every now and then, she would feel something brushing her fringe from her forehead, sometimes refreshingly cool, sometimes bitingly cold, and she always opened her eyes to see a starless night sky. It was a while before she realised she spoke to it, and it was longer still before she realised what she was saying.

"Beautiful. The sky. But no stars."

The words scratched at her throat as she breathed them out, but she never stopped saying them, and then she whined when the sky would momentarily disappear.

When it was gone, Quinn really missed the starless night sky.

* * *

Artemis was not happy.

His Cube/computer was nearing completion - he had finally figured out how to meld the technologies without overwhelming the human one or the computer market, and without damaging future developments and profits.

But his mother has roped him in to help look after his sick brothers and, worse, that blasted nanny. He tried to just tend to Beckett and Myles (juvenile though it was) but the three had been moved into the same bed. Infuriatingly, the twins' actual nanny was also ill - she had, in fact, been the one to give them the flu virus.

He would never tell anyone (mostly because anyone he would tell would have been able to guess) but it pained him to see his brothers as they were now. They practically shone with sweat; they shivered despite their burning skin; it seemed they were either sleeping fitfully or crying. Miss Murphy was just as bad. Certainly, she never cried, but she seemed to be delusional half the time.

When Artemis went to bed that night, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that he had gained at least some respect for Miss Murphy, and he didn't suspect her for ulterior motives any more. He had noticed that when one of the twins began to cry, she would try and comfort him. It was never successful - she was too ill to properly to anything - but at least she kept the twins relatively quiet until Mrs Fowl or Artemis could get to them. And in one of Miss Murphy's less lucid moments, Artemis had asked her why she was there: she mumbled something about a starless night sky and Kilkenny.

There was something pathetic about seeing Miss Murphy, someone who wasn't intimidated by him and often fought back, lying in a king-size bed as helpless as his three-year-old brothers.

* * *

The twins' fevers broke the next day and they quickly got better. It was the same day Mrs Builder returned to work, however, so Mrs Fowl kept Artemis on nurse duty instead of letting him get on with his work or look after his brothers. Miss Murphy was no longer hallucinating but her temperature still hovered around thirty-eight degrees. Since she was getting quality treatment at the Fowls' manor, Mrs Fowl called the orphanage to tell them the girl would be staying until she recovered.

"You don't have to look so grumpy all the time," a croaky, wavering voice piped up while Artemis was reading a book. He looked up to see Quinn looking back at him tiredly.

"Go to sleep," he ordered, returning to his book. "Also, I do not look grumpy all the time."

"I've seen you sleeping - so yeah, you look really grumpy."

Artemis' head snapped back up. "When did you see me asleep?"

"When I went to that nightclub." Quinn flopped her hand a bit, obviously too drained to raise it properly. "When Butler and I got back, you, Beckett and Myles were asleep in your bed."

Artemis frowned. He would have to have a word with Butler.

"Can I have some water?"

Sighing inaudibly, Artemis put down his book and picked up the glass of cool water from her bedside table. He carefully (because otherwise his mother would tell him off) helped Quinn so she was sitting upright and supported her while he slowly tipped the glass. Quinn sighed happily and looked relieved after she'd had as much as Artemis allowed her.

"Thanks," she said quietly, her voice no longer hoarse, and looked dazedly at him.

Artemis became very aware of how close they were. He could see individual shades of freckles dotting her face and her eyes looked so blue he might have described them as transparent if he didn't know better. The heat of the fever was almost stifling and causing Artemis' lungs difficulty.

He turned around to place the glass back on the side before gently lowering Quinn back onto the bed.

"Now go back to sleep."

"Yes, sir..."

Quinn trailed off, her eyes already closed again, and she immediately fell back into a light sleep.

* * *

Three days later, Quinn's flu had run its course. To give her a chance to recuperate, she was taken back home to take the rest of the week off, so Artemis didn't see her again for four days.

* * *

**A note about future updates: they should be monthly, like I'd planned. I can't guarantee an update in May because that's when my exams start. _But_ my last exam is June 20th and my summer will basically be full of writing. Which includes TCC. And if I write as much as I hope to, updates will become weekly. Yaaaaaaay. [;)]**

**Next chapter contains Important Things. I wouldn't say things 'start in motion' or whatever, because this story is not nearly so plot-driven, but it is narratively important. It won't be as much to write as this one, though (seriously, _so_ much fun to write a delusional Quinn at the beginning).**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their alerts - and even their favourites! I absolutely adore every single one of you!**


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